SF War Saga: The ReArmed Conflict
by Emile The Watcher
Summary: Remnants, a name whispered in the darkest corners of Lylat, very little is known about them, but General Pepper has gotten wind of the scope of their plans and five months after the Aparoid Conflict, he hires Star Fox to look into the group. Remnants, Star Fox, Corneria, Wolf's Ruffians, Caroso's Legion, when the dust settles and calm rules again, only one will be left standing.
1. Taking a Break

**_Star Fox:_ The Re-Armed Conflict**

**_Fan-Fiction Story by: _Emile the Watcher**

**_Disclaimer:_ I do not own the Star Fox Series, that is Nintendo. How can you be sure of that? There wouldn't be an down right awful pick you story game on the DS (Although there were some cool parts) and there would be a Direct Sequel to Assault. **

**You know what? Consider this that, except, you know with, more Fan-Boy tendencies.**

_**Well, here be the updated first half. Sorry it took so long, among the writers block I was suffering under, I also got a new game, moved 800 miles, oh and had to find a new job, which I got, go me. Come to think of it, that writers block isn't fully gone as I'm still working on the second chapter, which is pretty much the last half of the original write, but completely rebuilt for a slightly different story line and plot. One that spells of dark ends to this fiction...[cackles evilly]**_

_**Prologue:**_ **Lylat's Calm Before the Storm**

_After the Aparoid queen was destroyed, the Lylat system found itself struggling to recover from their brush with extinction. Bounty Hunters with no regards to the laws were everywhere, causing havoc and destruction, and crime flourished as various warlords and other bosses of the under world saw their chance to sit in the power seat of the Lylat system. The overly stretched Cornerian forces struggled against these massive odds in attempts to keep the peace._

_Despite the Army's best efforts, the Lylat system continued its downwards spiral to becoming a system of scum and villainy. So, in an attempt to boost their military efforts for peace. Cornerian High Command sanctioned the use of the more moral Mercenary Teams._

_The first and foremost of these being the impressive Star Fox Mercenary team. Ironically, Corneria had money to burn even while paying for repairs and dealing with the issue of rampant crime, throughout the system and its fringes. The Army used these funds to deploy the Star Fox team as a rapid response unit of sorts. Although the team had lost their carrier,_ Great Fox _ in the final push against the Aparoids and their demonic queen, the team's once prototype Arwings had small warp drives in them that allowed them to respond quicker then the Army could. Even if they couldn't handle the situation, they were at least able to hold the line until the bigger guns of the military arrived._

_Because of this, Fox McCloud, the furry and valiant, leader of Star Fox, has been awarded enough cash to fund a small army. He has spent a great deal of these funds on the redesigning and construction of the Great Fox II, his team's new carrier.  
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_Fox has also commissioned Slippy Toad, resident mechanic and technical genius, to customize the stock Arwings for the team's use, each fighter customized for their specific pilot. Slippy has been working on designs on the down low for a few years now, and he has jumped on the chance to bring his improvements and modifications to life with his new funds. _

_Fox also has tasked Falco Lombardi, his cocky wing-mate and ground weapons expert to to increase Star Fox's armory and ground mission capabilities. Falco, a former gang member was always ready to delve into the shadier areas of the Lylat system. This made him the perfect choice to locate the best, and most dangerous weapons he could find, legal or no._

_Fox's girlfriend, Krystal has taken to the Mercenary Job even more so then before the war. Around Fox she can usually be found in the nearest workout room, or else in her room meditating. This increased focus on exercise and calm thought was brought on by the fact that shortly after the end of the Aparoid war, Krystal's Telepathic powers exploded into a new range of ability and use. This included a Telekinetic ability that caused her to destroy the entire floor of a shopping mall with its emergence burst. The exercise keeps her mind busy and the meditation allows her to keep her powers from revealing themselves in such an explosive manner again.  
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_However, there was another Mercenary Team that was employed by Corneria, the Star Wolf team. Having survived their suicidal stunt in the Aparoid home world, the Star Wolf team appeared two months after the queen was destroyed. Until this point they were believed dead, however they did not return empty handed. When Star Wolf resurfaced, they had not just the three _Wolfen II _ships that they vanished in. Wolf and his team some how had managed to find an abandoned dock yard hidden on the fringes of the system. Sitting inside the dock, finished, but never used, was an experimental cruiser class ship._

_Wolf has since taken this cruiser as his flag ship, and his previously quasi organized faction of mercenaries and scum in it for the money, and crystallized them into a solid command structure. Not many have seen the _Wolf's Paw _in action. But those that have describe it as a unmeasurable showing of power, once which the strongest ship in the Cornerian fleet would have trouble matching. This has led the Corneria Army to put a bounty on Wolf's ship. Wolf in an attempt to stay in the shadows has offered his ship and services to help Corneria keep order._

_Panther, sensing this as a show of weakness in his leader, challenged Wolf to a fist fight for control of the _Wolf's Paw, _and of the Star Wolf team. The battle was furious and although many thought Panther had an fair chance of winning. It became clear early on into the battle that Wolf was toying with Panther to teach him a lesson. After two hours of brutal and violent hand to hand combat, Wolf finally let the bloodied and almost beaten senseless Panther finally drop and stay down._

_After recovering from his ferocious beating, Panther decided to try his luck else where, and he fled the _Wolf's Paw._ But not before slaving two of the cruisers _Wolfen II_ fighters to his own and flying away with them in tow. Panther, determined to see the _Wolf's Paw_ destroyed and Star Wolf eradicated, has set up his own Mercenary outfit. Starting with just two that he found to fly the _Wolfen_ that he stole. Panthers Legion has quickly grown and rivals the numbers of Star Wolf's faction._

_Panther remains loyal to the highest bidder on the shady side of the law. He ignores any noble contracts and focuses on causing as much chaos as possible. He regularly makes strikes at known places where the _Wolf's Paw _ has been seen in an attempt to destroy the cruiser, but Wolf has taken the ship into hiding and canceled his contract with Corneria. As of this day, rumors still persist of Wolf's ship being seen about, but nobody knows who he works for now._

_To add into this already unbalanced system, there are now rumors spreading of an elite force of fighters called the Remnants. Nobody knows who they are, or who they work for. But when ever they enter a area, crime sky rockets and any law enforcement in the area vanishes almost overnight. Causing whatever settlement they have infiltrated to turn into a hive of scum and villainy. Many open stations that dot the system have been corrupted and no longer are a safe place to go._

_The recovering General Pepper who is already worried about Lylat in general, having heard the rumors about these Remnants, is looking to once again call upon the Star Fox team to investigate them. That is of course, if he can find their leader..._

**_Chapter 1:_ Taking a break.**

/-/ Corneria -|- Star Fox Temporary HQ -|- Approximately Five months after the Aparoid's defeat. /-/

Falco Lombardi was kicking back in the command centers chair, his feet sitting on the console in front of him, rocking the chair back and forth on its stand while waiting for anybody who needed the mercenary team to call. He glanced around at their temporary HQ once more, slightly disgusted that they were stuck on a planet instead of the Great Fox. Sure for their efforts during the Aparoid war, Corneria Command had seen fit to gift the team with an old military base to call their own for the time being.

This was all well and good, except for that Cornerian bases featured only one specific color. Which meant that there was white, a lot of white. Falco was seriously starting to get sick of white, and he couldn't wait for the Great Fox II to finally be done. This was made all the worse by the fact that technically the ship was built, except for weapons, functioning docks, and a actual source of power to even fly with.

Falco sighed, flicking off some imaginary dust from his pants. He was dressed in his standard flight outfit, a red flight suit and gun metal gray boots, his belt was hanging off the back of the chair and his shoulder pads were laying on the console in front of him. Falco leaned his head back all the way so he could see the rest of the room just in time to see the holographic display in the center of the room kick on, displaying an incoming message alert.

Falco jumped up out of his chair and walked over to the system, stepping into projection range and accepting the call. As he watched the hospital bed of General Pepper materialize in front of him, Falco had to give the old dog his respect. Even though his Aparoid corruption had been reversed, it left his body in a critically bad shape, unable to walk, and most of the of basic functions still required help in some way. However, none of it stopped Pepper from leading the Cornerian Army, or giving Star Fox a call if he needed help.

Falco gave a quick off handed salute. "General Pepper, what planet am I saving today?"

Pepper shook his head "Falco, as cocky as ever I see. As much as I respect your skills as a pilot, I need to speak Fox."

Falco shook his own head while shrugging his shoulders "Sorry General, Fox left the base a few hours ago, never said where he was heading."

Pepper sighed and rubbed his forehead "Perhaps Krystal..." he started hopefully

Again Falco shook his head "No can do General, Krystal took off about an hour after Fox, and Slippy is with his dad at the Great Fox Hanger working on some 'project' for Fox." Falco gestured around him at the empty command room. "It's just me here, holding down the fort. Have you tried the Great Fox hanger? Maybe they went there to see what Slip's been up to."

Pepper shook his head his frown deepening" I already tried, just Slippy, I don't suppose you can call Fox back to base?"

Falco shrugged and rubbed his head "I can try, but he doesn't always answer. Is this really that serious that you need him?"

Pepper nodded and glanced down at a folder sitting in front of him "Yes, in fact the whole team would be best for this one."

Falco lifted an eyelid "Really? Alright well, I'll give him a call. I'll have him contact you when he gets back."

Pepper nodded and gave Falco a salute "Very well Falco, General Pepper out."

Falco stepped out of the projection area and went over to the communications console. He jabbed a few buttons. "Hey, Krystal, Fox, either of you get this, get your butts back to base pronto. Some serious stuff going down with Pepper, and he says he want's the whole team here."

/-/Corneria -|- Seedy's Bar/-/

The brown liquid in the shot glass swirled as the glass came to a stop in Fox's hand. Fox nodded his thanks at Seedy and quickly downed the shot. As the burning sensation scorched his throat, Fox thought back to what drove him to _this_ bar.

"_I've faced and defeated Andross, twice! I even took out the Aparoids! Yet, I just can't bring myself to ask her."_

Fox and Krystal had been sitting in the rec room of the HQ earlier that day, watching TV to see if there was anything interesting on. Krystal was snuggled up next to Fox, and despite the mostly bad news on the TV, Fox was happy. He had his friends, a girlfriend who loved him, and the money to keep Star Fox running for years to come. He had reached into his pocket and fingered the small box he had there.

Krystal had felt the movement and looked up into his face. "What are you playing with?"

Fox had just smiled at her as he felt a gentle brushing along his consciousness "Nothing, just some parts."

Krystal had returned the smile and leaned up to kiss him. "Liar." she said quietly as she pulled away.

Fox chuckled "You think I would know better than to try and hide things from you."

Krystal had laughed as well "You would think." Her face got puzzled "Although I'm having trouble figuring out what's in that box. You're hiding its contents pretty well."

Fox gulped nervously, afraid his thoughts would betray him as he felt her mind brush against his once again. _"Go on, do it! Now's the perfect time."_

Fox gulped again "Uh, ah, Krystal, there is...something I want to tell you."

Krystal had sat up straighter on the couch. "Yes?"

Fox had felt his body start to heat up, a blush creeping up his cheeks "I uh, there, uh, somethings come up. I need to leave for a bit."

Krystal had looked surprised for a moment. "Well, alright, do you want some company?"

Fox shook his head and stood up "No. I'll be back in a few hours."

Fox turned and left the room quickly, as he walked faster then he should have, he had felt her mind brush against his one last time. As he rounded the corner, his sharp hearing had heard her click the TV to a different channel, then the door shut and Fox found himself staring into his empty shot glass.

Fox sighed and pushed his empty glass off to the side and then raised his hand at Seedy, who slid another shot his way. Fox caught that and slammed it as well. He sighed again, and was just mustering up the nerve to head back to base when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He was spun around on his stool roughly to face two heavily armored guys standing in front of him.

They were both dressed in bandits heavy armor, large and painted a dark blood red with big thick helmets hiding their faces from view. He could see the air tanks that each one had strapped to their backs, and the blaster guns that were strapped below it.

"Well well." The one on the left started, his voice sounding slightly mechanical through the suits speakers. "Look what we found here buddy."

The one on the right nodded, before speaking up with a much deeper voice, so low it almost sounded like a growl. "I know, who would think Fox McCloud would come visit this bar while we were here. Maybe the boss will give us a bonus if we bring him Fox's head."

The left one nodded in return "That's a great idea, we might even get promoted."

Seedy sensing what was about to happen in his bar, walked over with an assault rifle in his hands. "Not in my bar, you take your arses and your fight outside. You can beat the shit out of each other out there."

The two goons looked at each other then back at Seedy "Gladly!" they said at the same time while grabbing Fox by his arms and throwing him towards the door. Fox saw that he was going to land on top of a table first and angled his shoulder into the landing, hitting the tabletop roughly, banging his muzzle against the surface and cutting it. Then sliding off of the table and into a tumble on the ground that ended with him laying on his back out side the door.

Fox rolled over and pushed himself to his feet to greet the goon that had followed him out the door. As he reached full height though, his head swam and he had to shake it gently to get his vision to focus. As the goon in front laughed revealing the one with the lighter voice, Fox saw the other one handing Seedy credits.

Fox turned his attention back to the light voiced goon who had stopped laughing and was staring at Fox. "Who's your boss?" Fox demanded as he raised his fists.

The goon scoffed "Like you don't know, Star Fox." The goon said the teams name with disgust, as if the very words carried a taste.

Fox scowled and wiped his cut and bloody lip, looking at the liquid on his hand that matched the color of the goons suit. "Wolf then. Alright, lets do this."

Fox raised his fists a little higher and settled into his fighting stance, bouncing back and forth on his feet.

The goon laughed and pulled his blaster from off his back "Yea right McCloud, just hold still and it'll all be over, real quick."

Fox was trying to think of way out and cursing himself for not remembering his own blaster when a thin red beam shot down from over his shoulder. It took the goon in his shoulder and sent him spinning around. His grip being lost on the blaster and sending it flying towards Fox. Fox grabbed the blaster from the air and turned it on the goon, dropping to one knee, and squeezing off two rounds through the helmet of the goon's head as he fell to the ground.

Fox straightened as the second goon came charging out of the bar with a roar of rage and with his own blaster drawn. He only made it two steps out, before another red beam shot down, this time piercing the deep voiced goon's kneecap. As the goon fell forward Fox repeated his actions of shooting the falling man in the head. As the the second body hit the ground, Fox took a breath and held it, letting the silence fall over him. Inside the bar Seedy and the rest gathered there sat and watched as Fox waited.

Eventually Fox felt a familiar needling in his mind as a voice came out from the communicator on his wrist."Are you okay Fox?".Fox released a breath he had been holding and relaxed a little.

Fox tossed the dead goon's blaster to the side as he raised his wrist "Yea I'm fine Krystal, little drunk, but fine. I assume you're the one with the sniper rifle?"

Krystal's laugh echoed out "You would be correct, head on back to the plaza, I'll meet up with you. That is of course, if you're done trying to pick fights with people who would like nothing better then to turn you over to their boss dead."

Fox rubbed the back of his neck "Heh heh, yea, I'll meet you there."

A few minutes later, found Fox walking towards the fountain in the center of the plaza where Krystal was sitting. Her eyes were closed and she was letting the spray from the fountain float over her while her tail was twitching back and forth. Fox paused and leaned against a wall, watching Krystal, he was reminded why he loved her. Just the simple sight of her at peace caused his heart to beat a little faster and that familiar rush of heat to course through his body in time with his quickened pulse.

Fox pushed off the wall and walked up to the fountain, sitting down next to her gently. They sat in silence for a while until he heard Krystal humming something low in her throat. Fox closed his eyes and sighed as he listened to her hum, the tune its self was catchy with a slightly eerie feel to it, but didn't take away from Fox's enjoyment.

After a while she stopped and Fox sighed again, he glanced over at her "That was a great tune, where did you learn it?"

Krystal smiled, although her eyes stayed close she tilted her head slightly to face him. "It's something my mother used to sing to me when I was a child on Cerinia."

Fox said nothing for a moment but glanced down at the smooth ground "You never talk about your child hood much." Krystal said nothing so Fox sighed and changed the subject. "So, thanks for the save back there."

Krystal didn't say anything for a moment, and she still didn't she open her eyes. "Was going to a bar to pick a fight really that important?"

Fox opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, knowing that Krystal could probably sense the lie that he was forming. "I...I just needed to get out I suppose."

Krystal opened her eyes and glared at him, as her fur stood on end and she glared at with with a dangerous spark flashing in her eyes. "Oh, and going out and getting yourself killed was the great plan?"

Fox stalled at her anger "Uh..."

Krystal stood up and moved over in front of Fox "If I hadn't come after you, and had the feeling that I would need that rifle, you would be dead right now."

Fox opened his mouth again, but was saved by both his and Krystal's communicators activating.

Falco's voice echoed out of both_ "Hey, Krystal, Fox, either of you get this, get your butts back to base pronto. Some serious stuff going down with Pepper, and he says he want's the whole team here."_

Fox glanced down at his arm then back up at Krystal who was staring at him.

"_Guys? Krystal? Fox?"_

Fox brought his arm up, never breaking eye contact with Krystal, who's eyes still hadn't lost that steely edge. "I hear ya Falco, what's up?"

"_General Pepper, _really, _needs to talk to us, is Krystal with you?"_

Krystal spoke up "I'm here as well Falco."

"_Oh, well, hope I'm not interrupting your love date then."_

Krystal gave one more loaded glare at Fox before turning her attention to the conversation. "No, you're not. Get Slippy back to the base, Fox and I will head back as well and we can find out what the General wants."

"_Sounds like a plan. Make it quick though, he seemed kinda worried about whatever it is. See ya in a few."_

Fox stood up "Yea, Fox out." Krystal turned around and walked away, Fox sighed and caught up to her. He grabbed her shoulder and she spun around, knocking off his hand in the process. Fox sighed "Look, Krystal, you have every right to be mad at me. I'm sorry, I really just needed to get out, the bar was unplanned. Will you stop being angry with me if I promise I'll tell you what was up when this mission is over?"

Krystal stared for a little bit more before her face softened, and her eyes lost that hard edge. "Alright." She said brushing her hand across Fox's cheek before pulling him in for a kiss. "I'll hold you to that." she said as she pulled away.

Fox smiled and laughed and the two of them headed back to base.

When the reached the base ten minutes later they found Slippy and Falco waiting for them in the command center. Falco was leaned up against the communications console, his belt snapped on and his shoulder pads attached again, tapping his foot and ready to get out of the base. Slippy was still in his mechanic clothes and was covered in grease from head to toe. He gave the two of them a wave as they came in.

Falco pushed off the console and walked over. "Bout time you two love birds got back. Jeez was your date really that important?"

Fox and Krystal shot each other a glance. Krystal spoke up "It wasn't a date Fal-"

Falco raised his arms, "Whatever, I don't want to know what you two do alone. Let's just find out what Pepper wants."

Fox shook his head and walked over to the holographic communication area. He stepped into projection range and dialed up a connection to General Pepper. It took only a few moments before General Pepper materialized in front of Fox.

Fox gave Pepper a formal salute as he spoke up. "Fox here, what I can I help you with today General?"

Pepper looked up from his file and smiled "Ah, Fox, glad you got back to me, is the rest of your team present?"

Fox glanced over his shoulder at the rest of his team and gestured with his head for them to step into the other projection areas.

As Krystal, Slippy, and Falco all appeared, Pepper looked around at each of them.

Pepper sighed "Very well, I have a urgent mission for you Star Fox, recently I have started receiving various reports of a new faction of units out in the Lylat system. Nobody has so much as caught word of who they actual are, just that they refer to themselves as the 'Remnant'."

Krystal spoke up "Remnant? So, they are the last survivors of something then?"

Pepper nodded "That's the best we can figure, but again, all I have heard are reports, rumors really. Whats troubling, is when ever these Remnant's show up, crime sky rockets and most local police forces collapse in on themselves."

Fox exchanged a look with his team. "Really?"

Pepper nodded again "Yes, it's not a pleasant thought, because of this, we must use our already stretched troops to also provide back up to local systems. I have just received a report that these Remnants might have started building a base on Fortuna."

Falco spoke up "Fortuna?" he glanced over at Fox "Hey, I'm always willing to get paid, but with out the Great Fox to carry our ships there, you're talking about a ten day trip in the Arwing, even with our booster systems." He glanced back at Pepper as Slippy spoke up "We can't even use a Warp-Gate either, since the Arwings can't stand the transfer."

Fox nodded "They got a point General, by the time we reached the planet, we would have to spend five days tuning up the Arwings, just to do a fly over, and I wouldn't trust them in combat."

Pepper was silent while he thought, Slippy was the one who spoke up next though. "Actually, we _can_ use the Great Fox II. We just need to load her up with supplies and some fuel. She is space worthy but has no weapons, so we would have to keep her protected." He glanced over at Fox "Plus the new designs are ready for a test run, so we could take those and see how they fare." Slippy looked throught full "It _would _be a nice way to get some data."

Falco perked up "What new designs?"

Fox glanced over at him "Later." He turned back to Pepper "General, looks like we can do this. Instead of our usual fee though, just fuel up the Great Fox and give us the supplies we'll need for the trip. We'll take care of the rest."

General Pepper nodded and gave a salute "Consider it done Fox, report when you have something. Pepper out" Fox and his team saluted as Peppers hologram faded from sight.

Falco instantly turned to Fox "Okay two things, new designs, and mission with out our fee, what gives Fox?"

Fox shook his head "The Designs you'll get to see tomorrow when we head out to the Great Fox II hanger. As for the pay, we are _not_ in a great need of it, and Pepper can get the supplies and fueling done faster then if we have to pay for it through the space port."

Falco thought about it for a moment "Fine." he turned around "But we take the next mission full price." he called over his shoulder as he walked down the hall towards the living area. Fox shook his head again as Krystal giggled.

Slippy shook his head as well and walked up to Fox. "We also need to take our stock Arwings, I'm not one hundred percent sure how these new designs will hold up in battle. We should have them with us, just in case."

Fox dropped a hand on Slippy's shoulder "Relax, you've tested them, that's good enough for me." Slippy glanced back up at Fox who shrugged "We will take the stock ones just in case though."

Slippy nodded and turned around "Alright I'll spend the night at the hanger running one last test on the designs and see you all there in the morning."

Fox nodded "Alright Slippy, see you tomorrow then."

As Slippy walked out the door Krystal slid up to Fox and tucked her arm through his. "So..." Fox glanced at her as they started walking "These new designs that you have managed to keep hidden from us. I'm guessing they are related to the Arwings?"

Fox said nothing just lifted his head a little higher with a smile on his face. Krystal raised an eyebrow and focused her slight mind reading powers on him.

"_Hmm...He's not really trying to keep it hidden, but I'm sensing...new ships?"_

"You did build new ships, didn't you?" she asked as they entered their room.

Fox just laughed and winked at her. "You'll see."

Krystal scowled and spent the rest of the night before drifting off to sleep trying to read Fox's thoughts. Something kept his brain scrambled for the most part though, and it wasn't until he was drifting off to sleep however that she finally got something, and it had nothing to do with ships.

As he had drifted off Krystal got the impression of a ring hidden away in a box and a blown chance. When she realized this she sat up in the bed sharply, looking down at the sleeping form next to her. _"Was this why he left suddenly earlier today?"_ Fox didn't react to her sudden movements except to twitch slightly in his sleep. She thought about it for a moment before slowly laying back down in bed and moving closer to Fox. Fox in turn unconsciously rolled over and wrapped an arm around her.

As she started to drift off to sleep she smiled at a thought that went through her head. _"Krystal McCloud does have a nice ring to it. I just hope he asks soon." _

/-/The next morning -|- Great Fox II hanger/-/

Falco was walking around the four Arwings that were sitting in docks waiting to be loaded into the ship. "Fox, buddy, you've been holding out on me."

Fox was walking just behind him "In all fairness, I haven't seen them until today as well. Slippy is the only one who has."

Slippy was standing off to the side watching them walk around "Well of course I have, I had to customize the ships didn't I?"

Krystal was standing behind one of the ships. "You've done a great job Slippy, these ships look great."

The ships in question used to be stock Arwings, but after Fox had come to Slippy with the idea of upgrades. Slippy had revealed all the plans he had for doing so if he ever got the chance. Fox took one look at the designs before giving Slippy the money he needed and to tell him when he was done.

Done he was.

The first ship was Fox's, it looked like a normal stock Arwing, except for it being a slightly darker shade of white. This was due to the fact that Slippy had pulled all of the original armor paneling and replaced it with a lighter and stronger alloy, allowing Fox's ship to take a much more severe pounding. Slippy had also replaced much of the inside wiring and boosted the G-Diffuser system. Giving Fox's ship improved agility in both space and in atmosphere, with the added bonus to the shields and speed as well. As well as turning the exhaust from his G-Diffuser system a much darker blue. But the best part...

"Slippy, what are these?" Fox asked, bent over to look at the underside of his Arwing, which was coated in what looked like scales. Slippy walked over glad that Fox had asked.

"I call them the BOUNCE system."

Fox looked up at him "BOUNCE?"

Slippy nodded "Yea, it's something my dad and I came up with. It stands for BeyOnd yoUr Normal Combat Experience."

Fox raised an eyebrow.

Slippy shook his head "Yea yea, I'm still working on the name. Anyway, each one of those little flaps is actually a mini booster tied into your G-Diffuser."

Fox bent down to look at what he thought were scales earlier "Okay, why do I need a what looks like forty boosters on the underside of my Arwing?"

"Foxen."

Fox turned his head "What?"

Slippy shrugged "Wolf based the Wolfen on the Arwing, so we might as well call these Foxen, since they are not exactly Arwings anymore."

Fox stared.

"Alright, I'll work on that name too, sheesh. Again though, what those boosters do is when the system is activated, your Arwing sensors detect when the bottom of your ship is getting to close to the ground. It activate this system and the boosters all fire at once, 'bouncing' you away from the ground."

Fox nodded "Okay, so if I get shot down planet side, I can use these to soften the impact?"

"Theoretically, but there is another use for them, the one I intended the system for."

"Oh, what's that?"

"If your approaching a sharp turn and can't slow down to take it. You can tip your Arwing on its side, activate the Bounce system and-"

Fox finished "Hit the wall into the turn. Clever. How much speed do I lose?"

Slippy shrugged his shoulders again "I can't tell you with out actual flight data, but my tests seem to show that you wont lose too much that you can't just get back up to speed with a quick burst from the normal boost system."

Fox nodded and leaped up onto the side of the Arwing and popped the canopy taking a poke around at the controls.

Slippy turned as Krystal called out. "Slippy, is this one mine?"

Slippy walked over the ship that Krystal was standing behind. He nodded as he approached. "Yep, do you like it?"

Krystal took another lap around the ship, taking in the changes. Her ship also had the new armor configurations, but Slippy had painted the metal a light blue and had painted a symbol along the nose that looked like her old staff. But where Slippy had used some space for Fox's BOUNCE system, instead he had added a second G-Diffuser system and linked the two together, to drastically increase the speed of Krystal's fighter, he had to do this by adding a new set of G-Diffuser outputs along side her old one, then he mounted them together so that the ships back end looked like it had two X's. For added speed he also gave her a triple booster engine. Krystal could quite easily shatter the sound barrier when she wanted to. Of course this required changes to her interior systems, which led to a rather interesting effect on her laser system.

Krystal was studying the laser's themselves and noticed the change. "Slippy, these lasers look different, did you change them as well?"

Slippy rubbed his head "Yea, to give you the added speed I needed to change how the lasers worked, its actually an interesting side effect."

Krystal looked at him "What effect?"

"Well, the rest of our ships can shoot until the lasers wear out at range. You're range however is drastically cut, but the other effect is that at close range your lasers are twice as powerful as the hyper laser system."

Fox walked over "But I thought that all laser systems were designed to carry the damage for a set distance?"

Slippy nodded "They are, yet something I changed in the wiring changed the lasers power as well. Krystal's lasers lose damage the further away her target it, but anything with in say about two hundred feet of her will seriously regret it. Which ironically works out since her ship is so fast she can close with an enemy pretty quickly without fear of a lock on attempt."

Krystal looked over her ship one more time "You know, throw a little purple in there and I think I might have a new love."

Fox looked over at her with a frown "Hey!"

Krystal laughed while Slippy walked over to Falco.

Falco glanced down at him "Alright, so tell me, what it so special about my ship aside from the obvious."

The obvious thing that Falco was pointing out was the fact that his ship had four wings instead of two.

Slippy pointed "That's actually it, aside from the armor and shielding upgrades that all of our ships got, your ship is designed to be able to bank at almost ninety degrees. Fox's ship needs the BOUNCE system to pull that off, but with your wings you can pull that with ease. There's also the case of the extra laser system in there."

Falco glanced at the wings "What extra laser system?"

Slippy smiled "Its a transfer energy system I saw the Aparoid's using. Instead of actually having an emitter, energy is passed along your wings and takes information from your targeting computer to let loose with four different lasers at once. You can either focus these to replicate the power of a twin laser system, or you can just choose to spray lots of fire over different ships."

Falco nodded "Whittle them down while flying circles around them." Falco slapped Slippy on the back. "I like it."

Fox walked over to the last ship. "Alright Slippy, what's up with yours?" Fox asked pointing at the rather large cylinders that were tucked against his hull on both the top and bottom of his wings.

Slippy walked up to his ship "Advanced shielding system, runs completely separate of the G-Diffuser. My shields can take four times the abuse any of yours can. Of course it does slow down my ship a little bit, but since the G-Diffuser no longer needs to feed power to the shields, I only lose a little speed."

Fox nodded "Nice." as he turned around to address the rest of the team, he heard Krystal call out.

"Slippy, whats this over here?" Krystal was standing in front of a table that had two gray boxes. Fox and Falco headed over while Slippy trailed behind

"Ah, those are prototypes, of some new equipment. Not exactly ready yet" he said as he reached into a box

Fox raised an eyebrow as he stared at Slippy. "Really? Anything interesting? You've already impressed with the Arwings."

Slippy held out a small hexagonal device to Fox, who took it and studied it. It was white with a small blue hexagon in the middle that flashed. He turned the device over several times in his hands before looking down at Slippy "Okay, I give, what is it?"

Slippy took the device from Fox, "I call it a reflector. I designed it as a mini shield generator."

Fox nodded "Okay, but, our shields don't deflect unless the Arwings themselves are spinning. So do we have to spin the reflector to get it to work?"

Slippy shook his head "No, the reflector is designed to do all that internally. All you need to do is tap the center button and make sure that your device has enough time to deploy the shield around your body." Slippy paused and glanced at the device "At least the front of you."

Falco walked over and grabbed a Reflector from the box "Not so good at watching our backs are they?"

Slippy tossed the Reflector he held back at Fox who caught it and and snapped it onto a clip on his belt. "Also there is a _slight_ over heat issue that I have yet to fix."

Fox looked down at Slippy "What over heat issue?"

Slippy shrugged "The device heats up no matter how small the blast it deflects, it needs a good five minutes before it can be used again."

Falco snorted looking at the device that he had just clipped to his own belt "So what good is it then?"

Fox looked over his shoulder "It means the Reflector is a last resort that might just save your life."

Falco raised an eyebrow but nodded anyway "Fair nuff."

Krystal had begun poking around on the table again and lifted the lid on the second box. She felt her eyebrows raise as she saw that inside the box were three more boxes, each one with a name written on it. Her interest was further peaked when she realized one of the blue boxes had her name scribbled on it.

As she lifted the box with her name on it out of the larger one, she failed to support the bottom and it fell away from the top. Krystal managed to catch the light blue suit that tumbled free before it hit the ground however.

Slippy turned around at the sound of the box hitting the ground and saw Krystal rubbing a finger over the surface of the suit. Slippy walked over quickly and grabbed the suit from Krystal who looked shocked at his sudden tactics.

"S-Sorry." He stuttered at her hurt look "I-It's just that the suits materials are really sensitive right now."

Krystal laughed at Slippy as he began to apologize again. "It's okay Slippy, I should have asked first anyway, what does the suit do?"

Slippy carefully tucked the suit back into the box and reached up to put it into the larger one. "I'm going to call them Mirror Suits."

Everybody waited while Slippy pulled the box off the table and held it in his arms. Falco finally scoffed and spoke up "Well, you're going to tell us right?"

Slippy looked surprised for a moment "Oh, sorry, got distracted by a different train of thought. Anyway, the Mirror suits will serve as an under suit to your normal combat gear. When activated the suit draws power from a belt of collapsed cells which then pass a stream of electrified currents across a series of strategically placed nervous system enchantments that will then accelerate your muscle mass by a good 4000% this leads to an-"

Falco held up his hands "Whoa, I lost you a while ago, care to simplify that?"

Slippy looked chagrined "Sorry, basically it allows you to dart forward in the blink of an eye, moving so fast you leave a trail of bluish reflections behind you. Hench the Mirror suit name" Slippy paused and looked down at the box "Well, in theory anyway."

Fox waited a moment "What do you mean, in theory?"

Slippy set the box on the floor and pulled his reflector from his belt. "Well, these were easy to test, it just took a blaster and some spare time. But for the suits I would need somebody to actual wear them and try them out."

Falco was walking back to his Arwing when he spoke up "Why not test them on yourself?"

Slippy shrugged "I don't have the proper muscle structure. Even if I could use one of these suits, all I would get are several slight shocks. Fox and Krystal have the right muscle structure, and to an extent, you as well Falco."

Fox nodded "Fair, enough, we'll see about testing them on the way to Fortuna" he turned around and headed for his own Arwing "Let's get these moved to the Great Fox and head out to Fortuna. We've got some rouge pilots to take down."

The team nodded and went about getting the Great Fox loaded.

_**Well, hopefully the next half will be up soonish after this one, I'm gunning for a few days at most. So, I hope you all know what you do now, and if you don't I'll give ya a hint, it has to do with pushing that little button right after I finish that says review...come on...do it...you know you want to...plus it makes me happy and gives me more reason to work on this...so...come on...DO IT! : P**_

_**Peace,**_

_**-Emile**_


	2. Old Players

_**Okay, So, first off. IF YOU HAVE READ CHAPTER ONE AS OF TWO DAYS AGO {11/15/2011} FEEL FREE TO IGNORE THIS! IF NOT GO BACK AND READ IT AGAIN AS ITS BEEN RE WRITTEN!**_

_**Alright, sorry about that capping, I normally don't do that, but it does tend to get readers attention. So, sorry this took so long to get up. But I had a lot of cool ideas to throw in. Well, I think their cool anyway, I'll leave the rest up to you. For now, enjoy the much longer and in my view, better chapter 2, which used to be part of chapter 1.**_

_**Star Fox: **_**The ReArmed Conflict**

_**Chapter 2: **_**Old Players**

/-/Great Fox II -|- In Orbit around Fortuna -|- Ten Days later/-/

The four of them were gathered on the bridge of the Great Fox, oddly quiet with out Peppy who had opted to stay behind. ROB wasn't saying much either, just clicking away at his keyboard, checking over the Great Fox's systems.

They were dressed in their combat suits again, Fox had his reinforced green flight suit and vest combo, minus his normal shoulder pads with the Starfox logo on it. Instead he had bands running around his upper arms with the logos printed on. He also had a visor folded over his left eye, besides having a zoom function it also allowed him to see the status of his team while they were in their vehicles. It was also tied directly into the blue suit that was underneath his flight suit. The Mirror Suits were finished a few days into the trip and ready for their first real field test. They had already tested them a little bit, but nothing like a field test.

Both Falco and Krystal also had their own visors tired into their own Mirror Suits. Falco's red suit was accented this time by the harness he had running over his left shoulder that was holding a set of grenades in its weave. Slippy had his old yellow jumpsuit on, complete with a wrench hanging off the side. Krystal was wearing her flight suit but had added a attached harness along the back end for her old staff, she also had a med kit strapped underneath the staff.

Fox cracked his neck "ROB, what do scans show?"

"Scanning of Planet Fortuna is 87% complete, no unregistered buildings or constructions detected."

Fox nodded and turned to Krystal "What about you?"

Krystal closed her eyes and directed her attention down to the planet side, focusing on picking up anything out of the ordinary. Nothing came to her, and she was just about to tell Fox so when she snapped open her eyes and let out a gasp as she fell to her knees.

"Krystal!" Fox shouted as he jumped over to help her up, the rest of the team also moved around her to see if she was okay.

After a few moments of breathing though Krystal closed her eyes and shook her head gently. "I'm...I'm okay...I've just never...ran into that before."

Fox and Falco helped her get her feet underneath her and she swayed a little bit before steadying.

Falco looked down at the planet through the bridges window. "So, what exactly did you 'run' into?"

Krystal blinked and closed her eyes again. "It was a void...everywhere else I can sense animal life, I can even get a small feel from the plant life. But there is an area where I can't feel anything, and the void itself tried to draw me into it." She opened her eyes and looked at Fox "It felt like it was trying to steal a part of me."

Fox glanced down at the planet "This, just got weird." He turned back to Krystal "I hate to ask you this, but can you try again, but this time see if you can pinpoint that void area. I have a feeling that is where we'll find these Remnants."

Krystal inhaled and nodded "I'll try." as she closed her eyes Fox turned to ROB. "ROB, call up a holographic map of the planet."

ROB nodded and a few seconds later the planet started floating in front of them. Krystal was silent for a moment before lifting her arm and pointing at a section of the forest below them. "There. I can feel its edges...it's...god!...its huge!" she made a circle with her arm and ROB added a trace over the planet.

"ROB?" Fox asked as he studied the map.

"Approximately 14% of the Planets surface is selected."

Falco gave a whistle. "That's a pretty big area to just block off from a telepath."

Fox nodded and turned back to ROB "Scan that area for anything."

"That area was scanned already, no unregistered buildings or constructions detected."

Fox narrowed his eyes and turned back to the map. He thought for a moment before turning to Slippy. "Are the Depth Scanners online?"

Slippy shrugged "They should be, don't know why-" he paused as it clicked "An underground base."

Fox nodded as Krystal and Falco glanced at them. "Exactly, I want to run a scan and see if we can find a base."

Slippy walked over next to ROB and activated a few switches "Alright, the Scanners on, but it can't pierce the ground from up here." He looked up at Fox "I can adjust the sensors on the Arwings though, and we can do a fly by and send the data up to ROB to analyze."

Fox nodded then glanced over his shoulder "Alright, lets get that data." He then led the way to the launch bay.

Five minutes later found the team fully suited up and walking along the docking bay to each of their fighters. Fox climbed into his Arwing and strapped in, booting up his G-Diffuser system and communications.

"Communications?"

Krystal answered through the system as their canopy's hissed closed "Communications line Green."

Fox nodded and booted up another system "Status?"

Falco was the one who answered "Status shows Green across the board, although its going to take a bit to get used to Slippy's super charged shield system. His bar nearly shoots off the screen."

"Hey!"

"Slippy, how about the new systems, everything good?"

"Yea, We're ready for launch."

Fox nodded to himself and opened a channel to ROB "ROB, we're clear down here, begin the launching sequence."

ROB said nothing but Fox's Arwing jerked as the docking clamps raised and the hook holding his Arwing up moved him forward. The Doors to the launch bay slid open and reds light flashed outside. Fox tightened his hands on his control sticks and glanced to his left. Krystal was looking at him and gave him a cheery wave before focusing on her own instruments.

Fox barked out one last order "Launch!"

He was pushed back into his seat as the sudden acceleration from the launch hook blasted him out into space. He switched his G-Diffuser to full and did a barrel roll as they activated.

He saw a fighter scream past him and heard Krystal laughing. "I'll see you all down there!" she called as her fighter already blasted into lower orbit.

Falco's voice came across the communication net "Jeeze Slip, you think that you maybe gave her a little _too _ much speed."

Slippy said nothing but Krystal laughed again. Fox spoke up "Cut the chatter, lets get that data. Adjust G-Diffusers for atmosphere and follow Krystal."

"Alright."

The ships blasted down and attempted to keep up with Krystal as she led them towards the void area. Eventually they reached an area where Krystal slowed down dramatically, and waited for them to catch up.

Fox noticed her riding her braking system "Something wrong Krystal?"

He reply was a few moments in coming "We're in the area...it's strange...I can feel the void...it's like it's attempting to smother me."

Fox let concern creep into his voice "Are you okay for flying?"

Again a small pause "I...think so...its just...strange..."

Fox glanced over at her fighter "Krystal, you hit orbit if you think this is damaging you personally."

"I'm fine for now Fox, but lets get that data as quickly as possible."

Fox turned back to his controls "Alright, activate scanners now and start sending the data to ROB."

Ten minuets later ROB's voice came over the communication system "Data Collection is complete. Analyzing...There is a large structure located 45 meters below ground, there are two possible entrances to the structure. One appears to be a hanger bay and the other appears to be a escape shaft."

"Alright, get a line open to General Pepper and-" Fox was cut off as Slippy spoke up.

"Fox, We're getting hailed."

"What, from where?"

ROB answered "Scans show that the call is originating from the underground base."

Fox paused for a moment "Okay, answer it."

There was static for a moment before a click sounded and a deep voice spoke up. "You four have 45 seconds to evacuate the near by air space before we come up and shoot you down."

Fox switched channels, deciding to try and act official "This is the Star Fox team, on assignment from the Cornerian Navy. I don't appropriate threats to me team. Also, since you appear to be in an unauthorized base, I suggest that you shut down all operations at once."

There was silence for a moment "...Shit...Star Fox...I dunno how you all found us so quickly but we're going to make damn sure you regret it!"

"What?!" Fox asked as the channel closed. "ROB, get that channel open again."

"Scans are showing disruption on the surface of the planet, approximately 400 meters behind you."

Fox flipped his ship around as did the rest of the team to see the trees in the distance shaking.

"What's going on?" Krystal asked

Fox watched as it looked like the trees were being forced onto each other. He quickly began charging his laser systems and spoke up. "I have a feeling we're about to get into a dog fight, activate your laser systems and prepare to fight."

Sure enough Fox's words proved true as a swarm of forty fighters shot into the air from the shaking trees.

As he watched the fighters, he heard Falco's voice "Hey Fox, I've never seen fighters like that before, they kinda look like Arwings but..."

Fox nodded "I know what you mean Falco." A sudden idea sparked in his head "Falco, Slippy, think you two can handle these guys?"

Falco scoffed "Of course, what are you planning on doing?"

Fox kept his Arwing low while Falco and Slippy moved higher "Krystal and I are going to head to that other shaft and see if we can dig up any information on this base."

Krystal's Arwing flew up next to his "We're going to infiltrate the base?"

Fox nodded "Yep, ROB, feed us the coordinates for where that other shaft hits the surface."

The fighter swarm curved up out of their launch and started bearing down on the four of them.

Falco's picture appeared in Fox's views again. "Hey Fox, if you plan on getting out of here, I suggest you do it soon."

Fox nodded and turned his Arwing around as he got the coordinates from ROB "Good point, let's go Krystal."

"Right behind you."

Fox banked his fighter around and led Krystal towards where the coordinates said the shaft would be.

As they got close, Fox activated his Belly camera and started watching the ground scream by."Start scanning the ground."

"There! A grate!"

Fox glanced down and saw what Krystal was diving for. "Alright, blast that thing out of the way and I'll follow you in."

"Already on it." True to her words Krystal waited until she closed to 150 feet and let out a purple laser blast. It impacted on the grate and blew it into pieces.

He heard her chuckle gently over the net "Wow these Lasers really are powerful."

Fox nodded as he dived his Arwing down after Krystal "Yea, leave it to Slippy."

As the two of them disappeared down the shaft they heard Falco's voice "Damn, these guys are _fast._ I don't think they saw you two though."

"Alright, keep them busy as long as you can."

Slippy spoke up for the first time since the fight had started "Can do!"

Fox turned his attention to the shaft "ROB how long is this shaft?"

"The Shaft runs down until it gets even with the base. Then it levels out and splits into two, one path leads towards the far side of the base, and the other leads to the hanger area."

"Alright, Krystal, you take the far side entrance, and I'll go for the hanger bay."

"Okay, meet up in the middle of the base?"

Fox glanced down at his screen "Yes, looks like there is a large central area."

The two of them leveled out their fighters as they reached the bottom of the shaft. Krystal pulled away as the second shaft broke off from his. "Okay, good luck."

Fox flew on until he saw the wall coming up quickly, he glanced to his left and realized that the shaft turned at ninety degrees. "Time to try out this BOUNCE system" Fox said to himself as he flipped a switch and prepared to angle his Arwing. Twisting the ship sharply Fox felt a small jerk as the thrusters kicked his Arwing off the wall and Fox leveled out. "Nice."

Fox could see the hanger area in front of him. There were no fighters that he could see so he brought his Arwing in for a landing, he looked around at the hanger and couldn't help the feeling that went through his mind.

Abandoned.

Glancing through his canopy as he shut down the Arwings system, Fox took in the dust in the corner, the flickering lights and the large amount of metal crates that had rust dominating their surface. The only thing that looked new, was the floor, the hanger door above him, and the one door inset in the far wall.

Fox opened his canopy, slapped the released for his straps and jumped out of his Arwing pulling his Blaster from his pack as he did so.

Fox decided to check in on Falco as his feet touched the hanger floor. "Falco, hows the fight?"

Falco's voice came out of his communicator, and Fox could hear sounds of battle in the background. "It's different, these ships are fast, but they cant take much of a beating, the only trouble we've had so far is drawing a lock on these guys. Our ships are holding up to any hits they have dished out though."

"Alright, I just landed and I-" Fox shut his communicator off as he heard a door hiss open from across the bay. He quickly dodged into a shadow filled corner and watched as a figure in a dark gray trench coat came walking out. Fox peaked out a bit to see if he could see the face of the person, which turned out to be a mistake as suddenly the figure reached an arm underneath his coat and whipped out a large blaster with two blades sitting on the front. He turned to face Fox and fired, the large purple blast, scorching the top of Fox's head as he barely moved out of the way in time. He dodged behind a set of crates and tightened his grip on his blaster ready for a fight when the figure called out across the hanger.

"I don't care who you are, but you got one chance to show your face or things will get real unpleasant."

Fox blinked and raised the blaster above his head so the figure could see he wasn't ready for a fight. "Smart pup, alright, nice and easy, out from the behind the crates. Toss you blaster first though."

Fox complied and stepped out from behind the crates, facing his long ago enemy from across the hanger.

Wolf scoffed and lowered his blaster slightly "Fox, I should have known you would work your way here eventually."

Wolf still looked the same, although the coat was new addition. His fur seemed darker in someway and he had a new scar along the side of his muzzle. His eyepiece was colored red and black now and had a larger screen which covered more of his face, wrapping around it and complete covering his damaged eye. He was dressed in his flight suit, also colored red and black and aside from the fact that he seemed to be favoring his right arm, he was much the same as when Fox last saw him.

Fox took a few careful steps forward, when Wolf didn't raise his blaster again, Fox sped up a little on his walk. "I could say the same for you Wolf, where is that cruiser of yours that you got? I didn't see it in orbit."

Fox had reached an even distance with Wolf and they started walking in a circle, keeping pace with each other. "I thought it was cats that were supposed to be over curious Pup, and where I left my cruiser is of little matter for you." Wolf gestured around the hanger "I suspect you'll have your hands full with what you find out here." Wolf stopped walking, as did Fox "Or do you already know?"

Fox blinked "Know what?"

Wolf let out a short bark of laughter, tilting his head back slightly and ruffling his great coat. "You'll see pup."

Fox saw something else that grabbed his attention though, and while they seemed to be having a normal conversation, Fox wondered if Wolf would answer the next question.

"What's wrong with your arm?"

Fox made ready to move as Wolf's hand tightened on his blaster. Wolf said nothing for a good minute before he spoke up "I suppose you should know, since it happened while I was helping you."

Wolf slid his arms out of his trench coat and let it fall to the ground, Fox stared hard at Wolfs left arm, which was what had caught his attention before. Wolf had put some credits into trying to hide it, considering that even while staring, Fox almost missed it, but still.

"The entire left arm?" he asked

Wolf nodded "Yes, one of those ships that I led away got off a shot right before it exploded. It grazed my Wolfen and knocked the shields out. The explosion afterwords caved in the side of my ship and crushed my arm. I was losing air from cracks and couldn't reach my oxygen mask or ejector switch. If Leon hadn't been there I would be dead."

Wolf flexed his cybernetic appendage, the metal creaking slightly "Do you know what happens to your arm if its exposed to space for a good amount of time?" Wolf glanced at the arm "Ironically, my life was saved by the caved in cockpit almost cutting my arm off, but it still didn't stop me from losing it." He turned back to Fox "Stare for to long Pup, and I may forget why I'm being nice to you."

Fox turned his gaze back to Wolf "Yea, why is that Wolf?" They continued their circular walk from before. Wolf sneered at him "Now that I'm not telling you." Wolf must have timed his ending, because as he finished the sentence, a Wolfen zoomed into the hanger bay from above, coming to a halt behind the Star Wolf leader.

Fox made to move forward but Wolf raised his blaster again and backed towards the Wolfen, who's cockpit slid open, almost eager to greet its owner. "Look Fox, I'll give you one piece of advice, right now, leave this base and forget what you've heard. You'll be better off for it."

Fox shook his head as Wolf leaped backward onto his wing and stepped up to the edge of his cockpit. "No can do Wolf." A thought came to him then "Do I need to warn my team that you're here? In fact where is Leon, shouldn't he be with you?"

Wolf dropped into his cockpit "You don't need to care where Leon is." Wolf glanced one last time at Fox as his canopy closed "Oh and Fox, remember what I said."

Fox covered his face as Wolf lifted the ship off the ground and blasted out of the hanger bay.

Fox turned his communicator back on and tried to resume his conversation. "Okay, that was weird."

Krystal's voice echoed out of his wrist "What happened?"

"I ran into Wolf."

Krystal's voice paused for a moment "And he didn't try to kill you?"

Fox bent down and picked up his blaster "Yea, like I said, weird, and he warned me away from exploring this base."

"Which we're going to do anyway, right?"

Fox nodded to himself as he headed for the door that Wolf had come out of. "Of course."

Falco's voice cut into the conversation _"Hate to interrupt you love birds, but while you were dark Fox, we had a surprise of our own up here."_

"What was that?"

Slippy took up the conversation _"Another one of those fighters appeared, but its colored differently and it hasn't attacked us, its been attacking them."_

Fox glanced down the hallway, keeping a tight grip on his blaster. "Well, at least he appears to be on our side. Best keep an eye on him though."

"_That's what we've been doing, I've tired to call the pilot a few times, but there's no answer."_

Fox moved slowly down the hallway, towards a door way on his right "Alright, keep me updated."

"_Can do Fox."_

Fox reached the doorway and made sure his grip on his blaster was tight, he spun around the corner and took aim into the room, ready to blast...nothing. The room was empty, save the white paint and the lights used to make the already bright room, brighter.

"Okay, this day keeps getting better." he muttered to himself as he continued down the hallway, checking each door as he passed and only seeing the same blank room. He called up a connection to Krystal on his visor.

"Are you seeing anything in any rooms on your end?" he asked as he checked another empty room before moving on.

"No, this is really strange, my landing area was covered in filth and falling apart, yet these hallways look spotless." Krystal's paused "Yet, I still get the feeling that this base was built, but never used."

Fox nodded to himself as he continued down his own hall. "Yea, that's the feeling I'm getting as well, you think there would be something, considering the fighters currently playing with Falco and Slippy."

Falco's voice cut in _"Speaking of us guys, we've downed about half of the fighters and have started to take some damage. These guys are really good. You have any info on them yet?"_

"None yet Falco, in fact, we haven't found much of anything in this base, just empty rooms, lots of em."

"_Great..."_

"How's our mysterious pilot doing?"

"_He's doing alright, hes downed a few, but taken a few hits as well. Not sure if he's here for kicks or if he just really wants to help us. I'm leaning towards the kicks personally."_

Fox turned a corner and was met with a large deep black blast door blocking off his way. "Alright Falco, keep that eye on him, and see if he ever opens a communications line." Fox cut the connection and moved towards the door, which hissed and slid open as he approached. He gulped and tightened his grip again on his blaster.

"Krystal, how close are you to the center?"

"I'm almost there Fox, five minutes maybe. Why, what's wrong?"

Fox stacked up against the side of the blast doors frame and glanced through. "Just a bad feeling."

"I'll hurry."

Fox peaked around the side one more time, taking in the large cavernous space inside. It appeared to be a large construction area of some sort. There were a series of cranes and catwalks that ran the length of the room. He took a step out onto a catwalk and glanced to his side to see that it ran all the way around to a door on the other side. Fox turned his gaze to the middle of the floor and saw a large cube sitting there.

Doing some quick estimates, he figured that this space could hold the Great Fox, easily, which would mean that...

Fox gulped, the cube was huge. Whatever came out of it would not be good. As if the room could sense his thoughts. The doors behind him slammed shut and sealed shut with the ominous clunking of extremely thick bolts.

Fox spun around as the doors heavy bolts finished thunking into place. "Yea, called that." he said to himself as he turned slowly around to see the cube hissing as its once smooth surface now had lines forming around it. It looked like the corners themselves were going to separate and shoot out. Before he could move though, the top two corners closest to him, along with the two on the bottom shot out with a massive blast of air and embedded themselves in the walls above and beneath him a little ways down the catwalk.

Before he could move out of the way a force field formed between the posts, trapping him on his little section of catwalk as the cube continued to slide apart to reveal a giant mech. Fox recognized it as one of Andross's old walking heavy tanks. Except bigger, much bigger, at least half the size of the Great Fox. Aside from the force field trick, everything else seemed to look like its smaller cousin. Until the cannon unfolded from its left side, rather then the large energy chain gun, this was a single massive cannon, crackling with green energy begging to be be released on somebody. On the other side, the old cannon barrel had been replaced with a repeating blaster version.

Fox gulped, nervous, he was trapped on both ends by a field and with the size of that cannon, it would blast him away no matter where he dodged. As if the pilot of the mech though along the same lines, a vial humming echoed into Fox's ears. He glanced at the large barrel to see the inside glowing along a series of circular lines inside the barrel, with sparks of green lightning jumping from one end of the barrel to the other.

Thinking quickly, Fox only had one real choice left, his left hand drifted down to hover the reflector hanging off a loop on his combat pants. He opened and closed his hand several times as his tucked his blaster into his pack with his right.

An echoing laugh came out of speakers inside the mech. "Hah, Hah, Hah, You made a mistake coming here McCloud. I'll end you here and never have to worry about you being in our hair again."

Fox closed his eyes and slowed his breathing as adrenalin began to flood his system. His flight or fight response was going full swing when he heard the humming noise change in pitch.

"Hah, Hah, Hah, Can't stand to watch the end Fox? Don't worry, I'll make it quick."

Fox ignored the pilot, focusing on the rising pitch of the charging cannon aimed at him. Waiting, his heart beat pounding in his ears didn't stop him from hearing that whine end. He didn't open his eyes as he used his thumb to unhook the Reflector from the loop, as it started to fall, he tapped two fingers on the button and grabbed it with two more, spinning it around and flinging it in front of him as it's inner system left the small device floating.

He opened his eyes to see the green energy sphere sitting at the end of the cannon, ready to unleash its torrent of deadly light. He could almost see the reflection of light as the shield unfolded from the reflector. Hexagon of hexagon of energy stacking on one another to form a protective shield.

Time slowed for Fox as the beam leapt forward, hungry for destruction, but only meeting the shield in front of its target. Small beams of energy spilled around the edge of the shields protection, but Fox remained unscathed. Lifting his right hand, Fox tapped his palm against the back of the Reflector. The Reflector then flashed and the massive energy it was deflecting suddenly bounced back along its path and right up the massive cannon arm.

The energy behind forced back up the barrel caused on explosive feedback that shattered the barrel and sent a chain reaction along the power system of the mech. The arm blasted off the side and the mech entered a shut down state. Fox caught the reflector as it powered down and quickly snapped the hot device onto its ring. "Thank you Slippy." He muttered to himself.

"_Fox."_

Krystal's voice inside his head, slightly surprised Fox, since she hadn't been able to do much with her telepathic powers since they had entered the void area.

"_Something you did must have damaged the voids source."_

Fox nodded as to himself as he watched the top bit of the mech slid open. Fox tapped his visor triggering a zoom to focus on the small pilot who was now standing with one foot on the edge of his cockpit. From his general form, Fox could tell he was an Ape, a large one. He was covered head to foot in black and orange armor and cradled in his hands was a...

Fox ducked as the red beam hit the wall where his head had been just a few moments before. He ducked along the side of the catwalk and realized that the field that was keeping him trapped in the little area was down while the mechs power was recharging. He ran along the expansive catwalk, ducking the various shots from the rifle. He continued his conversation with Krystal inside his head.

"_Krystal, can you find me now?"_

Her response was quick _"Yes." _she must have picked the details out of his mind, because her next question was _"Can you dodge that sniper until I get there?"_

Fox nodded to himself again and Krystal picked up on the yes that drifted through his mind.

"_Alright, hold on, I'll be there in just a few minutes."_ There was a pause. _"Fox! Stop!"_

Fox slid to a stop and reared back, as he watched a thin red beam snap into the wall where his head had been. "Thank you Krystal." Fox spoke aloud, he tapped the side of his visor "Time to confuse this sniper."

The normally green overlay of his head set turned to a blue and as he moved forward he could see holographic lines being outlined on the path a good distance down the catwalk. When the words "ok" flashed over his eye he adjusted his gait slightly, bringing his right back and moving his left arm forward, while crouching down slightly. "ok" was replaced by "active" and Fox took a step forward to continue his run.

He felt a series of light shocks along his body and his stomach suddenly felt like it had been left behind and Fox felt his eyes tear up. Fighting the urge to puke he glanced over his shoulder to see that he had moved a good hundred feet down the catwalk and the sniper was panning to the left to try and find him. It was at this moment ironically enough that the mechs power recycled and the cockpit closed. Fox had reached the other end of the hanger and ducked into a small room off to the side to hide from the mechs other gun.

Fox raised his wrist gauntlet "Krystal, how far out are you?"

Krystal was pacing back and forth in front of a blue field that blocked her access to the small door that would lead to the room where Fox was fighting with the mech. She raised her own wrist gauntlet "I'm just outside the door, but there is a blue field blocking my way. I have no way to turn it off and I'm not sure what it's purpose is."

Fox snuck a glance outside of his room to check on the mech. "Does it stop things from passing through it?" As he glanced at the back eh realized that the mech was only half completed. The back half was largely exposed, including a rather fragile looking core.

Krystal pulled her staff off its harness and extended it with flourish. She poked the end through the field and waved it around. "It doesn't appear so."

Fox whipped his head back into cover as the mech turned to face his direction "Well, I hate to say it, but you're just going to have to go through it. I can't avoid this guy for too much longer."

Krystal shot a dirty look at the field as if that could make it shut off. "Fox, I don't know about that. It's strange, but I feel as if there is something...wrong with this field."

Fox suddenly tore out of his hiding space as the mechs repeating cannon opened fire on it. He managed to dodge the first few blasts and got the reflector to take the next one, but the repeater fired too fast and a blast smashed into the device, throwing Fox hard enough into the wall to crack it.

Krystal felt his pain and slipping consciousness and made a decision, she blinked into her visor and activated her mirror suit, going into the pose to activate it. She took a step forward and flashed through the field. For a single split moment, Krystal thought everything had gone fine. Then her body erupted into pain and she felt a malevolent presence attack her mind. She grabbed her head and screamed towards the ceiling as her body was consumed in a fiery pain and her very sanity felt like it was stolen from her.

Unwilling this ended up saving Fox life, as the mech aimed its gun at the limp body of Fox a psychic wave of agony passed through the cockpit, causing the ape to collapse from the sudden overwhelming shock. Fox wasn't spared either and was blasted into complete unconsciousness from the wave.

Krystal dropped to all fours, gasping with tears rolling down her face and into her fur. The pain was gone already, but there was no denying the fact that it had happened. She raised a shaky head to glance over her shoulder at the blue field before she forced her weak muscles to stand. She stumbled into the wall next to the door and glanced wearily around, her eyes lighted on a large orange weapon that was sitting on a rock off to the side.

Shaking off the after effects of the pain, and deciding she would figure it out later, she reached for the launcher and went to the small door. It opened in front of her and she found herself facing the mech that Fox had been fighting, or rather the back of it. Her eyes lined up on the exposed core, and taking quick aim, she dropped to one knee and pulled the trigger, sending the homing energy projectile, right into the fragile mechs core.

The giant mechanical beast jerked as the fractured core sent an overload to all systems, starting a deadly build up of energy that would lead to the mech's destruction, along with anything in the near by area. Not realizing the wave of energy she had released had knocked the pilot out cold, Krystal waited a moment to see if the mech would do anything. After a few moments she took off running along the edge of the catwalk to reach the limp Fox.

It took one long minute of constant running to reach her prone boyfriend and when she got into range she dropped to her knees and slid to a stop next to him.

Fox was laying down on the catwalk, his back to the air and his laying flat against the mesh. His outfit was scorched from the repeater cannons blast and his left arm had lost most of the fur down to his elbow. His paw were slightly blackened and there was a thin stream of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth and trailing down his muzzle to drip through the mesh and begin its long fall to the floor below.

Krystal feared for a moment that he was dead, until he gave a weak cough which prompted more blood to fly out. He blinked his eyes wearily and tried to take a breath in, before he shuddered in pain. Krystal focused her mind on his.

"_Fox."_

"_Couple ribs gone, and my left arm feels like I took a blowtorch to it. Help me up."_

Krystal nodded and worked her left arm under his right and helped him stand. His hissed and winced in pain during the entire process, but once he was standing he turned his head slightly and gave her a half grin. "Thanks." he whispered.

As they began to work their way along the catwalk, the speaker system of the mech crackled to life. "...Fools...You've overloaded my mech...It'll explode in a few minutes...taking this bay out with it. Hopefully It'll also take out the core and devastate this entire place. But I doubt it."

Krystal and fox kept moving, as fast as they could with Fox injured as he was. Krystal called out, unsure if the pilot of the mech could hear her. "Here comes the part where you fly away on a escape pod laughing dramatically right?"

"...idiot...you fried my systems...I can't do anything, not even open the stupid hatch to shoot you...I'm surprised the speakers still work."

Krystal and Fox were half way to the doorway Krystal had come in on by this point.

"...Still, at least I get to watch you two attempt to hobble to safety before I explode."

Krystal and Fox glanced at each other and put a new hurry into their steps, Fox figuring out how to move without intense stabs of pain from his broken ribs throwing him off balance, and Krystal supporting him as best as possible.

They reached the door that Krystal had come through and Krystal spoke up. "You had better brace yourself for going through that field..." Krystal trailed off as they passed through the door way.

Fox looked about. "What field?" he asked

Krystal blinked and ran her gaze over the hallway to make sure she wasn't missing it somehow. She shook her head. "Never mind, it's gone now, that's all that matters."

They continued down the hallway until they started passing empty rooms exactly like the ones Fox saw on the other end of the base. Fox stopped her outside on of the doors and gestured inside with his head. As they walked in, Krystal moved them over to the wall and Fox slid down into a sitting position.

Krystal glanced behind her and saw a door switch, she walked over and hit it, sealing them into the room. Fox looked at her curiously as she made the short trip back towards him.

"Just in case the explosion from the mech makes it this far, that door didn't seal after us."

Fox nodded and turned his attention to his scored arm. He felt his gourde rise slightly as he studied the raw skin. The laser heat had washed over the shield and fried off most of the fur on the top of his arm and hand. It was going to be painful to hold a weapon for a few weeks if not a month. Krystal sat down next to him and pulled her med kit off her back.

She worked on nursing his wounds for a few minutes until a muffled boom sounded and the door shook in its housing. Krystal glanced up at the door, making sure it was holding against whatever forces had just gone to work on it. She turned back to Fox after a few moments, she had already put some salve on his burned arm and wrapped it up in a sling. She was now working on a set of banadges across his chest to help his ribs.

She had just finished tying off the bandage when a red light began to pulse in the corners of the room. Turing the walls pink and having Fox shoot Krystal a glance. "That can't be good."

A few moments later a computerized female voice began to speak up. "Warning. Warning. Level four explosion detected in the Mechanized Armor Construction Hub. There has been a breach in the power regulators for this base. A potentially explosive build up of energy is occurring inside the main core, along with sub cores 2-7. All engineers report to the core room to flush the energy."

Krystal helped Fox stand up again and they moved towards the door, as it slid open and their eyes glanced over the now scorched hallway. Fox spoke up. "You see any engineers?"

Krystal shook her head as they continued to move down the hallway. "Nope, you?"

Fox copied the head shake and they both moved a little bit faster, their pace quickened by the fact that the computerized voice had started speaking again.

"Warning. Warning. Core Energy Levels at Critical levels. Seals are at about to break, prepare to abandon base."

Fox turned his head towards Krystal "There's no way I'll reach my ship in time." Fox glanced down at himself "Let alone fly it."

Krystal chewed one her lip for a moment while she thought hard. Only one thing came to mind."...You ...you can ride on my wing."

Fox looked at her incredulously "In my condition? Besides the obvious, what about the G-Forces?"

Slippy's voice cut in from their com units "Actually, Krystal can devote one of her G-Diffuser systems into creating an atmospheric bubble outside the wing. You'll still feel acceleration, but the G-Forces should be nulled out."

Falco spoke up next. "Hey whats left of these chickens are pulling out."

Fox raised his arm with a wince "Yea, we destroyed a mech in here and its explosion damaged the bases core. You guys head out into orbit and make sure nobody makes a pass on the _Great Fox_ while they escape."

Falco sounded surprised "You don't want us to chase them down? There's only six left."

Krystal closed her eyes for a moment, streatching out her presense "Falco, they want you to follow them. They have a small base in the area. I can't tell where, but they are planning an ambush if you follow."

Falco snorted "Cowards." there was a pause for a moment. "Hey, our mysterious fighter didn't bug out with the chickens."

Fox thought for a moment as they rounded the corner towards Krystal's Arwing "Alright, see if they follow you back up to the _Great Fox_."

"Will do. I kinda hope they try something, just to see who's better."

Fox shook his head "Slippy, is there anyway to get my fighter out of the hanger?"

"Yea, I installed a recall device, ROB can activate it and call the fighter back to the Great Fox."

Fox smiled slightly glad that Slippy thought ahead, he spoke up again as Krystal helped him stand up on her wing. "Great have him do that, and wish us luck getting out."

Krystal took over the conversation as she sat down in her cockpit and began the boot up sequence. "Alright Slippy, I know how to set the G-Diffuser, but how to I shut down one and have it create a field?"

Slippy walked her through the few steps as the lights in the hnager started flashing red as well and that computerized voice calling out over the floor. "Warning! Warning! Core is Critical! All Personal Evacuate the following sections of the base as soon as possible." The computer began to list off sections of the base and Fox noted that their hanger area was one of them. Krystal realized this as well as he canopy slid shut and the Arwing lifted gently off the ground.

Fox crouched down with a groan and grasped the edge of her wing with his right paw. He was hoping that Slippy was on his game today with this G-Bubble idea.

Krystal spun the fighter gently towards the exit and began to accelerate, slowly. As they passed the hanger doors a wailing alarm announced that the core was collapsing. Fox raised his hand again and spoke into his comm unit "Krystal, faster."

Krystal glanced at him through the cockpit, she touched his mind against her and felt his pain. "But..."

Fox nodded "Yes Krystal, I know, but if you don't punch it now, my injuries won't matter as the explosion will destroy us both."

Krystal nodded and gulped turning back to her controls and closing her fist over her thruster control, her thumb resting of the slider. She glanced once more out at Fox who nodded grimly. "Do it."

"Hold on!" she called as she put pressure on her thumb and slid the slider to the max. The Arwing shuddered just a bit as it comprised for the sudden increase, then took off down the shaft at the full speed for a normal Arwing.

Fox closed his eyes against the whipping wind that was threatening to dislodge him from Krystal's wing. Slippy may have cut the G-Forces, but the wind was a whole different matter. He tilted his head down to keep his face out of it and hissed in pain as the wind had hit hard enough for him to feel it through his bandages.

Fox found it hard to breath as the wind whipped by, let alone talk, yet he managed to get out a few words. "How...much...further?

Krystal glanced out at him holding onto the wing "Hang on Fox, stay with me, we're almost out."

Fox was trying he really was, but the wind was actually causing her wing to cut into his paw and he could see darkness eating at the corner of his vision. "Don't...know..."

Suddenly he heard Krystal's voice in his head _"Fox! Stay! With! Me!" _

Fox blinked and lost more vision to the darkness eating away at his view. He could see the exit ahead of them. However his grip was slipping, and his mind was reeling for lack of oxygen. He felt his eyes drift close and that's when he heard it.

"_Don't you dare disappoint that lady Son, she might just give you a child someday. But you need to live for that."_

Fox snapped open his eyes, banishing the encroaching darkness, and glanced to the left of him. While he was hugging the edge of her cockpit, trying to let the wind stream over him as much as possible. The Vulpine who stood clear and tall next to him on the wing was not. The wind was blowing by him, furiously tugging at his fur and flight jacket, yet the man paid no mind to that. He just turned to face Fox. The man was a spitting image of Fox, except for the fact that he was wearing black out sunglasses that somehow managed to not fly off his face.

"Da...Dad?" Fox managed to gasp out.

James McCloud nodded at his son, then leaned down and placed a paw over Fox's loosening grip. Fox turned his gaze to his fathers paw, unable to believe it. It must be a hallucination, brought on by his lack of air, and pain, it had to be, yet that pressure holding his paw over the edge of the wing. Fox turned his gaze back towards the light at the end of the tunnel, and he head his dad chuckle.

"_This is one of the few times that you want to go into the light. Get ready Fox, you'll be on your own again. Don't let me down, and as Peppy has told you, Trust your Instincts."_

Fox turned his head to his dad and as they passed through the gate, the pressure over his paw lessened, and his Dad bounced backwards off the wing. Fox craned his head to look, but darkness was eating away at his vision again, he blinked and turned his back towards the front view. He could see a hill in the distance that Krystal seemed to be heading for. He also saw her glancing at him repeatedly through her cockpit canopy, making sure he was still there.

Fox blinked again, and his vision narrowed to a tiny cone of sight, the hilltop with its trees, just barely visible. He could feel his paw slipping again, but did nothing to keep his grip. He blinked one more time and all he saw were clouds, then he closed his eyes and felt no more, as he mind was cradled into unconsciousness.

Krystal landed the Arwing gently on the hilltop and unstrapped herself as her cockpit slid open. Fox had his head tilted back towards the sky, and with a sigh, slid off her wing, landing roughly on his back.

"Fox!" Krystal called as she leapt out of her cockpit and ran around the wing towards Fox. She ran up to him kneeling down next to his prone form and put a paw on his chest. His heart wasn't beating. Krystal gasped and set about doing CPR, probing his mind with hers. "Fox, stay with me, come on, you still have to give me that ring!"

She pressed her muzzle to his and blew air into his lungs. "Damn it Fox" she said as she pulled back again, returning to pump his chest. Above her she could hear Arwings, flying down towards her. She also heard Falco's voice. "Oh man..."

Krystal kept pumping on his chest, and blowing into his muzzle for a good two minutes. The Arwings had already set down next to hers and Falco had ran over. Staring down at his child hood friend with worry that he normally didn't show. "Come on Fox..." He muttered under his breath.

Tears were sliding down over Krystal's muzzle and she she sobbed gently as she blew into his muzzle again. Suddenly a burst of air impacted on her lips and Fox coughed, blood sliding out from in between his lips. Krystal gasped and turned to Falco. "Help me get him to that tree. Watch his ribs and arm"

Falco nodded and the two of them moved Fox over to the shade of a tree, his head resting in Krystal's lap.

Fox came to about five minutes later, disoriented and groggy, his chest felt like it was on fire and his arm was roaring with pain for his attention as well. He opened his eyes and stared out into a smudged world. He blinked again and things became a little clearer. He could see a blue head above his and he blinked again, staring up into Krystal's worried face.

Fox coughed feeling liquid rattling around in his lungs "Hey." he managed

Krystal smiled and kissed his hand

Fox cringed a little at the pain "Who's...idea...was that...again?"

Krystal laughed a little and wiped her eyes. "Mine." She bent down and kissed him. "Glad you made it."

Fox chuckled softly "Yea...me too...just...close my eyes...body...tired..."

Krystal smiled again and glanced out "I'll watch over you."

Fox nodded "Good...last thing..." The darkness was returning to eat his vision.

With his unguarded mind, Krystal could sense what was coming "Yes?" she asked softly

Fox struggled to get the words out "Will...you...marry me?"

Krystal bent down and gave him another kiss, "Of course."

But Fox was already asleep and didn't hear her answer.

Falco whistled while Slippy ran over to Krystal and slapped her on the back. "Congratulations." He said as he walked away a few steps.

Falco shook his head at the sleeping form "I didn't think he had it in him to ask, it took so damn long just for you two to go on a date."

Krystal giggled and looked down at Fox "I wonder if he'll even remember that he asked me."

Falco shrugged as Slippy moved over towards the Arwings, specifically Fox's, which had been flown back down by ROB's guidance. Slippy leapt up into the cockpit and Falco raised an eyebrow at him "What are you doing Slip?"

Slippy poked his head out "Fox needs to get to the med bay on the _Great Fox_, so I'm slaving his ship to yours."

Falco nodded then glanced at Fox "Is it safe enough for that?"

Slippy shrugged "It should be, but don't worry, it'll only take a few minutes to get up there, and ROB can monitor his vital signs."

Krystal turned towards them "Hey, what happened to that Fighter you guys were flying with."

Falco turned towards her with a smirk "Ah, ROB is helping out with that one too, hes sitting in the bay with a Gatling Gun pointed at the fighter, just in case. If the pilot tries to leave, ROB also has some EMP grenades I found to shut em down."

Krystal shook her head as Slippy climbed out of the cockpit. "All ready." He called.

Krystal nodded and gestured to Falco "Come on, help me get him over there."

Less then ten minutes later the Arwings were setting down in the hanger across from the mysterious fighter. Krystal opened her canopy and walked over to Fox's fighter as its canopy slid open along with Falco and Slippy's. Behind her, she heard the other fighters canopy slid open as well. She paid no attention to that, focusing on Fox, at least until Falco spoke up. "Holy..."

She turned her gaze to Slippy who was starting dumbstruck at the pilot who climbed out of the fighter. "No way..."

The pilot turned around with a smile and a wave. "Hey guys, miss me?" the pilot asked with a giggle. Falco shared a gaze with Slippy while Krystal looked on confused. Falco managed to take a step forward "Fay?!" He asked absolutely shocked "You're the one who was helping us out?!"

Fay giggled again "Yep, sure was, looked like you guys could use it."

Krystal studied the new comer, who while known to Falco and Slippy was new to her. The collie was pure white with long dropped ears that ran down her back to hang just below her shoulder blades. She had a red bow into her hair that ran down with her ears into a pony tail, she was just a little taller the Krystal and was wearing black boots with dark brown flight pants with a matching color shirt and a light brown flight vest pulled over the top of it. Hanging from her neck was a pink highlighted headset complete with microphone hanging down off the edge. Her eyes were a vivid crystal blue that matched perfectly with her face.

Krystal probed her mind gently trying to decide is she was trustworthy, but apparently Fay sensed that as she frowned "That was weird." she said into the middle of the conversation she was having with Falco and Slippy.

"What was weird?" Slippy asked.

Fay shook her head, her ears and pony tail flying around behind her "Just this odd feeling in my head."

Falco nodded "Ah that."

Fay stopped and looked at him. "You know what it was?" she asked

Falco nodded and put a hand on her shoulder leading her over towards Krystal. "Fay, meet Krystal, she's our newest member, and happens to be telepathic."

Fay's eyes widened just a bit and she looked at Krystal "Telepathic really? What am I thinking?"

Krystal focused on her and smiled "You're thinking that Falco should take his hand off your shoulder before you remove it."

Falco took his hand off in a rush while Fay grinned at him sweetly. He shook his head and moved a few steps back "Sheesh." he muttered under his breath.

Fay turned back to Krystal "So, that's true. Anyway, you're the new member? I heard that Peppy had retired but didn't know who Fox replaced him with." Fay suddenly glanced around Krystal towards the Arwing, unable to see into the cockpit. "Hey speaking of Fox, how come he hasn't come out to see me." She craned her neck over her shoulder to look at Falco who moved towards the Arwing while ROB came marching in with a stretcher. Falco walked by her and Fay followed him, missing the stretcher and the worried looks the rest of the team had. "He's not still mad at me about that bet is he?" she asked with a smile.

By this point Falco and Krystal had gotten up on either side of Fox's Arwing and Slippy and Rob passed her with the stretcher. Everything clicked for Fay at that moment. "Oh no." she said as Falco and Krystal lifted Fox out of the cockpit and put him on the stretcher. Fay watched ROB and Slippy head off for the corridor then jumped slightly as Krystal put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on." She said gently "I'll explain on the way."

Fay nodded and followed Falco and Krystal towards the hallway.

_**Oh holy crap, it be Fay! Well, I'll just let you know right now, that Fay is going to play a big part in the sub-plot that I have going on, and possibly explained in the next chapter, and she won't be the only old friend that the Team meats up with. I'm sure quite a few of you can guess who, but I'm still keeping quite it about it...: P**_

_**Alright, well, please, seriously, leave me a review, your thoughts, something, it just helps me to write and it also makes me feel better. I've found that I've turned into one of those writers who doesn't advance the story with out reviews. Sorry, but I figure if nobody cares enough to review, they don't want to read the story right? What's sad, is can see my own logical flaw here, but can't ignore it...so hey...click that little button and drop a review.**_

_**: D**_

_**Peace,**_

_**-Emile**_


	3. The Storm

_**Whew, well, hey, like I said at the end of my last authors note, reviews get me typing, and boy damn have I been typing. So first off, I want to pass on a shameless plug to Kit-Karamak, who's awesome stories have been keeping me distracted for the past few days. If you have for some reason, not read his stories yet, well, do so, right after you read mine. This chapter is a little bit shorter then my last chapter, but I'll make up for it with the next one, promise. Speaking of chapters...**_

_**Star Fox: **_**The ReArmed Conflict**

_**Chapter 3:**_** The Storm**

/-/ 16 Months ago -|- Great Fox I /-/

Krystal suddenly opened her eyes as the light that had been creeping across her room suddenly leapt into her face. Blinding the Vixen and causing her to shy away from the light. She rolled off the bed and stumbled over to the window where she quickly located the controls for the hull plating phase ability. She played with the panel for a bit still not used to the Cornerian language before she managed to switch the window to solid.

She sighed softly as the light faded into the dull glow that shone on from the motion sensor in the ceiling. Krystal glanced around the room, locating the clock beside the bed. She sighed again when she saw what time it was.

"5:45 am" she said softly, the Corneria spoken language still feeling as odd to her as the words. True she had only been in the system for a month, it was to be expected the the words would feel odd. Krystal glanced around one more time at the room that the Star Fox team had given her, even though she kept telling her self that she couldn't keep using the Star Fox teams kindness forever. Something kept her around, and she kept telling herself that what her heart was saying couldn't be the only reason.

Right?

Krystal walked over to the closet and poked through the clothes there, dangling from a hanger was the two thin pieces of clothing that she had first come to the Lylat system in. She fingered the outfit then grabbed a pair of baggy jeans and a large t-shirt. Both of them were quite large on her, but they were the only thing Fox had that she had liked wearing. She grabbed the edge of the shirt and pulled it up over her muzzle, inhaling his sent.

She caught herself and quickly lowered the shirt, her cheeks burning red even though there was nobody around to see. She made for the door and spotted her iron bangles that she normally wore over her tail sitting on a dresser against the wall. Deciding for once not to wear them, she left her room, moving slowly through the darkened hallway of rooms, her mind gently reaching out to each persons mind as she passed their room.

There was Peppy the aging hare who treated her like a daughter already. His dreams were filled with a wife that he missed and worry about the state of Lylat system in general. Slippy's room was next to Peppy's and Slippy's dreams were filled with designs and technological ideas that had Krystal wondering if any of them were even possible. Falco's room was next and the pilot was currently thinking about an old flame who he had run into before coming back to the team, the thoughts were not...nice.

Krystal paused as she neared Fox's door, she sensed nothing. Deciding that he must be somewhere else in the ship, Krystal continued her trek through the hallways, she passed the kitchen area and stopped in to grab an apple before moving on past the work out room, the rec room, and passing the main hanger bay.

She was headed towards the bridge when she felt Fox's mind near by, he was in the rear hanger bay, where she had flown her shuttle a few weeks ago. When she reached the elevator that would take her there, she paused for a moment, focusing on his thoughts. He was awake, that much was obvious, but the feeling that seemed most in his mind was...sadness.

Curious, Krystal stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the rear hanger bay. After a few moments the doors in front of her slid open silently and Krystal padded softly out into the hanger. Fox had moved his Arwing into the bay at some point, for it was sitting next to Krystal's shuttle and Fox himself was sitting on the wing.

He was dressed in black jeans with a light gray tank top tucked into the jeans, he had decided to be like Krystal as well and was bare pawed. He was sitting with his right leg tucked up in front of him while the other dangled off, slowly kicking back and forth, his tail copied the motion behind him. He had braced his left arm behind him on the wing, leaning back slightly and his right arm was resting on his drawn up kneecap. In his right paw were a pair of dark sunglasses that he was slowly swinging about, with the the arm he was holding opening and closing with every swing.

Krystal left him to his thoughts for a moment and was about to call out to him when he started speaking softly. Startled she moved towards the control booth and slid up to the wall, standing in the shadowed corner listening into his speech.

"So...been a...long...time..." Fox sighed and Krystal glanced around to see that he had sat forward a bit and was now holding the sunglasses in both paws, staring at them while his mind swam with sadness. "I'm sorry I haven't been doing this much, but I never really had a lot to talk about." He sighed again, then chuckled softly "You know, if one of the guys found me doing this, they would worry that I had finally gone crazy. Although Peppy would more then likely encourage it." He paused for a moment "I really miss you Dad, I wonder every day if I'm doing the right thing, if it's how you would have led the squad."

Krystal suddenly felt horrible, this was a private moment of Fox's, and she was being rude and eavesdropping. A large part of her wanted to quickly move away and leave Fox alone, but a small part pinned her to the wall and made her listen.

"I've actually had to work up the nerve to do this, I'm not exactly sure why, but let me fill you in on what's been happening." Fox started to recount how the past eight years hadn't been kind to the team, the Great Fox falling apart and Falco leaving them to go be part of his gang again. Then how General Pepper had given him that mission to go check out Sauria. "You know what, I met somebody there, she was in a real damsel in distress situation. When I first laid eyes on her, I couldn't believe it, she was so beautiful, I haven't felt this way in a long time Dad, not since..." Fox trailed off and Krystal heard him sniff softly. He continued his retelling of his adventures, and how he had ended up rescuing Krystal, only to have to fight Andross, again.

"I don't know if I can do it much longer Dad. I swear, it seems every time I think I've finally gotten my vengeance, and that you can rest easy, Andross comes back somehow. I know that I really shouldn't be seeking out vengeance, but he took so much from me, from us. First Mom, then you..." Fox trailed off again and Krystal risked another peak. Fox was staring at the floor and Krystal could see tears falling off the edge of his muzzle and starting their sad fall to the floor.

After a minute of this he sniffed and wiped his muzzle on his arm. "But you know what, anytime I've had doubt, I always remember what you used to tell me. Trust my Instincts, and so far they haven't led me wrong yet." Fox chuckled softly again "Let me tell you the main reason why I'm doing this today. You see, the girl I mentioned, Krystal, I'm pretty sure I'm...Well..I just don't want to push things. I felt like I was telling too much when I had told her that she could stay with us. But I'm really glad that she did, this past month has been great, I've been getting to know her, and I think you would really like her. I'm actually going to ask her something today, I want her to join Star Fox, as a Pilot. Peppy has already mentioned retirement, and I think he's earned it by now. With Falco back, we could have a full squad again and be officially registered as a mercenary squadron once more." Another pause "What do you think Dad, My instincts say yes, but am I putting her in danger by doing so?"

Fox was silent for another few minutes and Krystal peaked around the side of the booth again. She could see the side of Fox's muzzle and the smiled that dominated it. "Thanks Dad, for listening. I'm sorry that we didn't get more time together, and I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to meet Krystal." Fox was holding the sunglasses in front of him again and tears were sliding through his fur to drop down onto the sunglasses. "I really miss you Dad, I hope you're resting easy now. I promise I'll go visit yours and mom's graves soon." he was silent for a moment more "Well, I've said everything I wanted too, I'll try not to wait so long to do it again Dad. I love you."

Fox sighed and dropped off the wing suddenly and headed for the elevator door. Krystal glanced around and ducked through the open booth door. As he passed the booth, Krystal poked her head out and saw him wipe his muzzle clear of tears while he stared at the sunglasses again. He smiled softly once before he tucked them inside his tank top, the only clue to their presence was the arm that showed on the outside, keeping them held against his chest. He stepped into the elevator and pressed a button, the doors closing him off from Krystal's view.

Krystal sank down to the floor of the booth, the large part of her that wanted to leave, was disgusted with herself for intruding on such a private moment. But the little piece that had kept her listening in, it soared with joy, Fox had never actually said the word. But, unless she was way off, it wasn't to hard to guess at what Fox had never actually said. Standing up quickly, Krystal headed for the elevator, pressing the button for the corridor that would take her to the living area. If Fox wanted to ask her to be a pilot, she might as well make it easy for him to find her when he was ready.

"_So that's how you came to be on the team...Interesting...you love him and he you..."_

/-/ Great Fox II -|- Med-Bay -|- Present day /-/

Krystal awoke with a start, blinking rapidly while trying to figure out what had caused her heart to start pounding away inside her chest. After a few deep breaths her heartbeat slowed, and she tried to think why that memory would cause her to be...scared. She focused on the dream and could have sworn that it wasn't the memory itself that had scared her, but something...else, something she couldn't put her mental finger on. Deciding that it was something to worry about another day, she turned her attention to Fox, who was laying in one of the three beds inside the Great Fox's medical bay.

It had been only five days since they had first investigated the underground base. But quite a bit had happened. Mainly the fact that Krystal realized giving CPR to somebody with a couple broken ribs wasn't the safest thing to do. But that was on a personal matter, in the Lylat system itself, the Remnants had reveled themselves to the Lylat system with a string of terrorist attacks, decimating a few popular vacation areas, and even managing to destroy the executive lounge of a popular hotel on Corneria.

The Unified systems of Lylat were in an uproar, and there was a large amount of blame being thrown on General Pepper, for failing to see this coming. There were also the whispers that maybe Pepper shouldn't be leading the Cornerian Army in his state, and that perhaps, the Aparoids had left him a little touched in the head. Those in the upper echelon of the Cornerian government structure know that these claims are false, but if something good didn't happen soon, they would have to bow to public pressure and remove Pepper from his position.

Krystal turned her thoughts to the teams old friend, automatically seeking out her presence aboard the ship while she did so. Fay was working on her fighter inside the hanger bay, much to Slippy's dismay, Fay had rejected his help, and forbid him from working on the ship in general. While Falco was curious about this, claiming that Fay used to not be this closed off, Krystal was worried about another thing.

Why Fay was flying one of the ships that the Remnant had attacked her teammates with. This was another thing that Fay had refused to talk about, and any attempts by Krystal to prob her mind was met with a wall of noise that she couldn't penetrate. It was as if Fay was actively trying to stop Krystal from gathering anything from Fay's head.

After two days of suspicious glances, Fay had finally promised that she would tell them everything when Fox awoke. Now Krystal had been waiting for the past three days for Fox to wake up. She wasn't too worried,since according to ROB, who had accessed a medical data bank, Fox was physically well, and healing fine, and when ever Krystal tried to probe his mind, she found his brain active.

A red light began to pulse on a panel in the wall and Krystal walked over to it. She jabbed the button. "Yes Falco?"

She heard Falco sigh through the speakers "Their back again."

Krystal sighed inwardly herself. After contacting General Pepper and reporting on the base, they had been ordered to keep the Great Fox in orbit and serve as 'damn guard dogs' as Falco had put it against anybody attempting to return and destroy evidence. Pepper had sent back up, which had arrived a few days ago, but it didn't stop the Remnants from showing up occasionally and trying to drive them away from the planet. This usually turned into a slugging match between the two cruisers that Pepper had sent and a skirmish between however many fighters they had brought and usually the Star Fox team.

Krystal jabbed the button again. "Alright Falco, give me a minute to get ready, you and Slippy head out, I'll launch when I'm ready."

Krystal released the button and her ears twitched before she turned around. Behind her Fox was slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position, wincing slightly. Krystal walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder "Easy now."

Fox gave her a lopsided grin "Relax, it doesn't" he winced and paused "hurt." Krystal raised an eyebrow at him and Fox rolled his eyes. "Alright, it hurts, a lot, but" Fox glanced at a clock inset in the wall that displayed the date as well as time "I've been out of it for a while." He turned to face Krystal again "Falco's been running the team alright?"

Krystal nodded and snapped her fingers "That's right." Fox looked at her curiously as she went back over to the panel and pressed another series of buttons. A holo display turned on showing Falco was in his cockpit. "Where are you Krystal? Having trouble lifting off?"

Krystal shook her head "No Falco, Can you handle the fighters without me? Fox woke up."

Falco glanced at her in the display "I would rather have you out here Krystal, they brought a lot of fighters this time. Think they finally got tired of getting their tails kicked."

Before Krystal could speak up, another display, opened next to Falco, displaying Fay's face, from her background she was obviously in her cockpit. "If Krystal can't launch, I can join you. My fighter is fueled up and ready to go."

Falco looked at Fay with suspicion "Why the offer now Fay? You could have helped us out before."

Fay sighed, more then likely feeling Krystal probe her mind "Look, I know that my appearance is sudden and none of you apparently trust me anymore, I wouldn't either honstly. But I have a really good reason for acting like I am, Fox will understand."

Krystal focused her attention on Falco "She honestly wants to help Falco, might as well let her, shes already proven that she can hold her own."

Falco snorted softly "Alright, I'll tell ROB to open the doors for you."

Krystal spoke up again "I'll take care of that Falco, you focus on the fight."

"Sounds like a plan." Falco said as he and Fay closed the connection. Krystal called up the bridge and had ROB deactivate the mag hold on Fay's ship and to open the bay doors. When she was done she turned to find Fox had swung his legs off the side of the bed, keeping himself covered with the medical sheets.

"Did I hear Falco say 'Fay'?" Fox asked as Krystal walked over and handed him a bundle of clothing.

Krystal turned her back and moved towards the wall, staring at the clock "Yes, why?"

Fox started getting dressed, pulling on the black shorts that Krystal had handed him. "Falco or Slippy didn't tell you?"

Krystal shook her head "No, and anytime I try to probe gently for the answer, their thoughts are so confused that I can't get a clear read." Krystal glanced over her shoulder to see Fox slowly working a black shirt over his head. "What is going on with them?"

Fox turned to face her, still favoring his injured ribs "Well, Fay is supposed to be dead for starters."

Krystal felt her eyes widen just a bit "She doesn't look like it."

Fox nodded "All I can tell you, is that we were sent a communications from the military reporting that Fay had died in a raid. When I think about it, the only real thing that comes to mind for that, is that she was working undercover for something."

Krystal walked over and offered a hand to help him walk, which he took with a smile, turning back to the conversation Krystal started talking as they exited the med bay and started down the hall towards the lift. "Well, that would explain why she was flying one of the Remnants fighters."

"Fay was the mysterious pilot who helped out Falco and Slippy?" Fox asked as they stepped into the elevator, Fox letting go of Krystal to lean against the wall instead. Krystal nodded in answer to his question while she pushed the button for the bridge.

As the elevator started going up Fox rubbed his hand through his head fur "Jeeze, what else did I miss while I was out?"

Krystal shrugged "Not much aside from Fay, Pepper did pay us to act as 'Guard Dogs' as Falco keeps putting it, to make sure nobody gets into whats left of the base. Oh and the Remnants have openly attacked Lylat with a series of Terrorist attacks. As well as attempt to destroy what remains of the base. We've fought them almost twice a day since the core of the base exploded."

Fox shook his head "Openly attacking Lylat? Guard duty in a half finished ship?"

Krystal shook her head "Actually, according to Slippy, almost three quarters of the ship."

Fox glanced at her, Krystal smiled as the elevator stopped at the bridge "I'll let you see for yourself."

The doors opened and Fox felt his jaw slacken and his eyes widen. The normally spacious bridge was crowded with at least fifteen people. Most of them were sitting in front of panels with their covers off and their insides pulled out. Those that were working on the panels were busy with wire cutters and were busy rewiring several buttons. But standing near the back of the bridge were a group of four people. One of which saw Fox and waved at him, walking quickly over to him.

"Fox, you're walking!" Slippy exclaimed as he walked up to the Star Fox team leader while the three people he had been talking with following him over. Fox nodded and glanced down at Slippy. "Yea, don't think I'll be flying for a week or more, but at least I can move." Fox glanced around at the busy bridge "What's going on here Slip?"

"I can answer that Sir." The bulldog in the middle walked forward a few steps and saluted "Corporal Grey, CTO of the Corneria Command building. General Pepper sent me and my team over to help you guys out with the repairs on your dreadnaught. I think he felt bad about having you guys holding a defensive line in a half finished ship."

Fox studied the bulldog in front of him. She had brown fur and skin and had ears the hung down over the back of her head, mixing with her black hair that was tucked away into a pony tail. She was dressed in a mechanics outfit, a jumpsuit colored black with a tool belt strung over her waist. On her left was calico who was a mixture of gray and dark brown stripes, he was also wearing a matching jumpsuit, but instead of a tool belt, he had numerous cargo pockets across his legs and arms. The last engineer to the right of the bulldog was a great dane with brown fur and and piercing gray eyes, she also wore the matching jumpsuit, but was minus any way to hold tools.

Fox raised a hand "No need to salute Corporal, I'm not military anymore, and this isn't a military ship." Fox stuck his hand out "Fox McCloud, and forgive me, but Grey, you wouldn't happen to know a Bill Grey would you?"

Corporal Gray smiled "I do, hes a cousin, we don't talk much, but I have heard about you from him." She gestured to the cat on her left, "This is Saz," Gray gestured to the great dane next "And this is Xena." Corporal Gray finally grabbed Fox's hand and gave it a shake. "And since we're not going by rankings here, you can call me Danielle."

Fox nodded "Pleasure to meet you, so what exactly is going on around here" Fox asked as he gestured around the bridge.

Danielle glanced around the bridge "Well, like I said, Pepper sent us to help get your dreadnaught up and running. Where I go, these two go, and if we go somewhere, the entire damn department follows."

Fox nodded "Okay, and CTO is..."

Danielle smiled again "Chief Technical Officer. I'm in charge of all things engineering and computerized function in the Corneria Command Building." She paused and put a finger to her muzzle "Well, that's the official bit, but really, its the three of us that handle it. Xena is more Computerized and Saz is the Engineer, I handle a lot of general stuff, leaving them free to work on the really complex things."

Fox nodded again "That's an odd setup."

Saz nodded "Yea, we all met and hung out during our school days, and after we graduated, we heard Corneria Command was looking for somebody who could cover a large range of knowledge for their CTO position. We applied and suggest they divide everything between the three of us."

Fox raised an eyebrow "And they were okay with that?"

Xena spoke up "Well, not fully, since Danielle is the one who carries the official title, if you look under payroll, Saz and I are just 'assistants'" Xena finished with a snort. Fox turned to face Krystal who had been standing behind him, waiting for the introductions to be completed "So they've been fixing _everything_" he asked her.

Krystal nodded and took a step forward, slipping her arm through his "Yep, and don't worry, I've cleared them."

The three engineers in front of them exchanged a glance, Saz received a nudge from Xena and cleared his throat "Pardon me, but what do you mean by 'cleared' us?"

Krystal smiled at him before focusing on his mind. _"Simple, I'm a telepath, and by 'cleared' I mean you hold no harm inside for us."_

Saz's muzzle dropped open and Xena and Danielle looking at him with confusion. Fox laughed and Krystal repeated her message, focusing on each engineer until all three were staring at her. Danielle finally recovered and cleared her throat "Well, I've got to hand it to you McCloud, I heard you had a interesting team, but a telepathic teammate is a new one on me."

Fox turned his gaze to the rest of the engineers on the bridge "Where have you all been staying, I know we added some extra rooms when we redesigned the Great Fox, but not enough for this many."

Xena walked up next to him "We've been taking shuttles over to the cruisers, technically we're in charge of any battle damage repairs over that as well."

Fox nodded and turned to Slippy "Any of the sensors online Slip? I want to see how Falco and Fay are handling themselves."

Slippy shook his head sadly "Sorry, most of the sensors are offline while the bridge gets rewired."

Fox frowned and turned to Krystal. "Would you mind?"

Krystal smiled "Of course not." Krystal closed her eyes and reached her mind out into space before her, feeling where Falco was, his gun-ho and cocky nature easy to identify. She found him in a fight with the last two fighters the Remnant had brought while the noisy wall that surrounded Fays mind placed her at the lead of a bombing wing heading for the last Remnant Cruiser. She turned her gaze back to Fox "Looks like they are wrapping up the fight outside."

Fox nodded "Good." He turned to face the engineers, "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, we need to have a team meeting, so I'll let you three get back to work." Fox turned around with Krystal "Come on Slip." he called over his shoulder as the three mechanics went back to fixing the ship.

Ten minutes later found Fox and the team locked up inside the rec room. Fox was leaning up against a counter top, staring at the collie who was sitting on the couch tucked against the wall across from him. Krystal and Falco were on Fox's left, and Slippy on his right, all four team members were staring at Fay, who despite her ties to the team, looked quite nervous.

Fox let the silence build for a few minutes while Fay took turns glancing around at them, trying to judge their feelings. It wasn't working very well as each pilot had wiped their face of emotion and were just watching her. Finally after six minutes Fay sighed and Fox raised an eyebrow at the collie who turned her gaze to the floor.

When she looked back up, she had a small grin at the corner of her mouth "You know, I was trained to resist all sorts of torture, and yet I can't stand even ten minutes in a room with you four staring at me." Fay gave a soft laugh, and Fox lowered his raised eyebrow.

Falco, raising a hand like he was in class, spoke up with the first question. "Okay, you want to tell us why you would need training to resist torture?"

Fay chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment. She glanced around the room at the other pilots before focusing on Fox. "Just you." she said.

Fox waited a moment before he shook his head "No. I appreciate the help you gave us on the surface, and in this last battle. But anything you tell me, Krystal would pick out of my mind, and I would just tell the team anyway."

Fay frowned "Then I can't tell you."

Fox pushed off the counter "Then goodbye Fay. Krystal tells me that, while you're very good at blocking most of your thoughts, she can still tell that you came here for help. But if you're not willing to talk, I'm not willing to help." Fox walked over to the door, managing to keep a straight face even though every other step caused him pain. He slapped the switch and leaned up on the door frame as the bulkhead slid up into the wall. "I don't send my team in blind Fay, you either tell us what's going on, or we don't help you."

Fay watched him from the sofa, hey eyes slightly wider then normal, she hadn't anticipated this. She thought hard for a few more moments before she stood up and walked over to the Fox. She took a step out into the corridor, she turned slightly in the hallway to stare at Fox. "Just know, that for doing this, you've dammed someone you love to death."

Fox blinked then glanced at Krystal across the room, he turned his gaze back to Fay, who hadn't moved. She had expected him to shout wait and explain, but he didn't. Fay waited for a minute more before Fox spoke up "That's low Fay, and if you really had paid attention to the news, you might know that there is only one person I love still alive. Besides, whoever this person is, they would be your friend too, so by walking out, your damning yourself to lose a friend as well."

Fox turned back to his team and slapped the switch to close the door, as it slid shut, Fay let loose with her double whammy "Even if that person is Fara?"

Falco was looking at Fox who had suddenly gone wide eyed, he glanced at Slippy who was closest to the door. "Did you hear what she said?" Slippy shook his head. "Nope, but it sure rattled Fox."

Falco sighed and moved towards the door, slapping the open switch, to find Fay moving dejectedly down the hall. She turned when she heard the door slid open behind her, she turned expecting Fox, but found tromping down the hall towards her. She went to turn back around, but Falco grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

"Hey!" she exclaimed as she was spun.

Falco glared at her "Don't 'hey' me Fay, what did you say to Fox? He looks like he's just seen a ghost."

Fay glanced down the hall past Falco "Well, then maybe I've finally got through to him." Fay made to move around Falco "If you'll excuse me."

Falco locked his hand around her arm and pulled him back towards her. "No, listen here Fay, you just blew it, you've been trying to play Fox since he woke up, and I won't let that happen. You either tell him everything, no tricks, or I'll personally escort you to the hanger bay and send your ass away."

Fay growled softly "Let go of me Falco. Now."

Falco glared right back at her and leaned in to help make his point. "I'm not afraid of you, you either leave, or you come back and tell us everything. All of us."

Fay drew back her fist but stopped when a paw landed on Falco's shoulder. He leaned back from Fay and glanced over his shoulder at Fox. "Enough Falco. Save it for our real enemies."

Falco let go of Fay's arm and she drew it roughly away, glaring at the falcon. She turned her gaze to Fox. "Are you ready to talk, alone?"

Fox glanced at Falco, then nodded his head back towards the rec room. Falco shot another glare at Fay, before he nodded and walked off back down the hall. Fay grinned at Fox. "So-"

Fox closed his eyes and raised a hand while shaking his head. "No Fay, I just came out to stop Falco from doing something he would regret later."

Fay looked startled "But-"

Fox opened his eyes and glared at Fay, who went quiet. "You think I don't know when I'm being played? I'm insulted that you would come here acting like an old friend and try to play me, and my team like that." Fox paused "Actually, no, I'm pissed. I want you off our ship, now. When you're ready to actually want our help, you can come back, until then, get off our ship. I'll give you five minutes before I send Falco down to follow through with his earlier threat."

Fox turned around. "I'm serious Fay." He said as he headed for the room.

Fay looked worried "But, Fara-"

Fox stopped at the rec room door, he glared back towards Fay "Fara Phoenix, is dead. I watched her shuttle explode. I _saw_ the body, or what was left of it."

Fox walked in and the rec room door slid shut with a thud behind him, leaving Fay in the corridor of the Great Fox.

_**Okay, so, I hope you all keep with me while I write this, and that I'm still keeping people some what in their characters. I'm actually usually a pretty bad judge at those types of things, so I just kinda wing it and hope for the best.**_

_**So, one of the reasons I mentioned Kit up there was because of the fact that a few of his stories have actually inspired what comes in the next chapter which is actually already a few pages in. I'll try and finish it over the next few days. Hopefully it'll be up by this weekend, if not, next week sometime hopefully.**_

_**As for reviews, well, I still love to get them, and whenever I hit a writers block, I always go and read what people are saying, usually helps me go popeye on that writers block and smash it to dust. So drop a review, I always accept constrictive criticism as well, it does help me improve believe it or not. I also really want you to review if you feel something is off with this story, either in characters or perhaps plot. The plot bit, I may just PM ya and tell you to be patent, but otherwise, I'll take everything under consideration.**_

_**Peace,**_

_**-Emile**_


	4. Answers and Memories

_**Well...That took a bit longer then I thought. I will tell you right now...There might be a few bits of this chapter that are kinda hard to follow. Also, something still feels kinda off with this chapter, not sure what. I'll think on that while I let you read it.**_

_**Star Fox: **_**The ReArmed conflict**

_**Chapter 4**_**: Answers and Memories**

Inside the rec room, Fox glanced at Falco, "If she hasn't launched within five minutes, go 'escort' her off our ship."

Falco cracked the knuckles in his hands "Gladly."

Krystal walked over with Slippy, Krystal who had probed Fox's mind while he was in shock had gotten some of what was going through his head. Krystal slipped her arms around Fox and pulled him into a hug, letting him use her to hide the two tears he let slide across his face and down his muzzle. She whispered, just loud enough from him to hear. "You loved her didn't you?" He nodded slightly into her neck and she smiled, pushing him slightly away so that he could see her. "It wasn't right of Fay to drop that on you, but you should at least hear her out."

Fox sighed "Yea, I still stand by what I said though, she needs to be okay with the team knowing. I'm not keeping secrets from you." He glanced down at Slippy then over at Falco. "Any of you. You don't keep secrets from family."

Falco scoffed "Stop getting all emotional geez." while Slippy laughed slightly.

The four of them turned as a soft knocking occurred on the rec room door. Falco turned to Krystal who nodded "Its her."

Falco grinned "Okay, time for Fay to leave." He went to hit the switch when Fox held up a hand. "Before you force her out, lets see if she has changed her mind."

Falco nodded and slapped the release switch for the door. As it slid up it revealed Fay, standing in the hallway, she had taken off her bow and was playing with it in her hands. They waited for a moment before Fay cleared her throat "Okay, I'm sorry, that was...well...it was a stupid and a bad thing to do. But I do really need your help." She glanced down at the floor, waiting for the answer.

Fox stepped away from Krystal "Fine, but you tell us everything. Right here. Right now. We made you a part of Star Fox, and even after you left with the Miyu, we still kept in contact, then we get a crap transmission saying that you died during a raid for some mission and that's that." Fox paused and took a step forward "Then you show up over four years later and ask for our help and to go in blind. When we refuse you try to manipulate me into helping you." Fox glared at her "Not a good way to get this team on your side."

Fay sighed, "Okay, look I said I'm sorry already, please, just hear me out now." She glanced at Fox, tears in her eyes. "You were right, I will lose a friend if you guys don't help. But I also wasn't lying earlier Fox, Fara. Is. Alive. So is Miyu, but Fara is the only one in danger right now."

Fox gestured towards the couch. "Well then, time to explain, and no hiding anything." He glanced behind him at Krystal "We'll know."

Fay nodded and walked into the room, neglecting the couch, and moving towards the counter top and pulling out a stool. "You all might want to grab a seat, it's going to be a while."

After everybody had found a seat and they were all watching her, Fay tucked her bow back up onto her head and cleared her throat. "Where to begin..."

Falco spoke up from the green recliner he was laid back in. "Well, the whole part where your death apparently was faked sounds like a good place to me."

Fay nodded "Okay, I just want your word before I start, you can never breath a word of this to anybody. I already risked everything just revealing myself to you guys. If Cornerian High Command gets wind of this, I-"

Fox held up a hand "Wait, Pepper knew you were alive?"

Fay nodded, and Fox shared a look with Falco and Slippy. "What?" she asked.

Fox turned his attention back to her "Pepper was the one who sent the transmission about how you two had died."

Falco snorted in the background "I may not have been here when he first sent the transmission, but I've watched it. That old hound has some guts, he even had the nerve to let some tears slip during the transmission."

Fox raised a hand to stop Falco. "You have my word, that I will not talk about anything you discuss in this room." he glanced around at his team. "Agreed?"

The other three nodded. Fay nodded as well and cleared her throat. "Right well, my 'death' actually requires me going back a little further to explain." She turned her gaze to Fox "You remember when we first met on Papetown right?"

Fox nodded "Of course, you and Miyu were visiting and somehow ended up captured by the imperial army. We raided the base that you guys were in to get some shipment information and decided to bust you guys out while we were there."

Fay glanced around "Did you guys ever stop to wonder what a couple of 14 year old teens were doing being capture by the imperials?"

Fox said nothing, but Falco spoke up "You know, I did wonder at that time, I bet we're about to find out." He lifted his head off the back of the chair and glanced at Fay "Am I right?" At her nod he put his head back "Yea, knew it, come on, let's hear it."

Fay turned her gaze back to Fox "We'll, you knew that Fara was the youngest test pilot and that her opinion carried a whole lot of weight. The public knew her as the daughter of the Phoenix business powerhouse. But what only a few of the extremely high ranking members of the Cornerian High Command knew, was that Fara, Miyu, and I were actually black ops specialists."

Fox held up a paw. "Wait, so you're telling me, that Fara, the Fara that I knew and loved, was really a black operative?" Fox scoffed slightly "I don't believe it." He glanced behind him at Krystal. They stared at each other for a moment, before he sighed. "Okay, so you're telling the truth, but how come she never mentioned it?"

Fay looked apologetic "She couldn't mention it, not to you, not to her dad, none of us could."

Fox sighed again waving with his paw "Alright, just, go on."

Fay nodded "Anyway, on one of our missions, we heard about this group of people. They operated separately of the imperial army, staying in the shadows, but still secretly working for Andross."

Slippy spoke up "The Remnants."

Fay nodded "The very same, although they weren't the Remnants back then, just a shadow army if you will."

Fox glanced over at Falco "Alright, let's get it over with, if Fara didn't die in that shuttle explosion, then what happened, and whose body did I identify?"

Fay sighed "A week before her 'death'. We were on a data retrieval mission, and we found some solid information on the Remnants. Turns out that they were secretly working things from the background. Corrupting officials and buying out certain businesses, they were under orders to collapse Lylat if, for some reason Andross was killed before he could destroy Corneria." Fay looked around the room. "That data, was scary, from what we saw, they had an actual chance to pull it off." Fay turned her attention back to Fox "So, when we sent the data to command, they decided to slip one of us into the Remnants, to not only try and ruin this master fail-safe plan, but to also keep better tabs on them. They chose Fara since she had helped trained us and was our unofficial leader"

Fay paused for a moment. "I just want you to know right now Fox, that Fara wanted to tell your right then. I mean everything, the black ops, the mission to send her undercover under the guise of death. The only reason she didn't was because the brass threatened to throw you in jail, then send in Miyu or me in her place. I think that was the only time that Fara actually wanted to disobey orders. Guilt was the only reason she went on the mission, or rather fear of guilt. She thought we couldn't handle it, and we did nothing to rid her of her fears. So she went to avoid the fear of the guilt that might consume her is she let two of her friends go to their death, rather then try to save them by stopping these guys herself."

Fox said nothing, just watched, so Fay cleared her throat and started again. "So the shuttle, you see, Fara never really got on that shuttle. Or rather she did, but she actually just used it to get her into the atmosphere. She was inside a small blast capsule that would deliver her to the next planet she was to call home. From there she was going to try and infiltrate the Remnants."

Falco called out from his laid back position on the recliner "Hey, so if all this was faked, was the report about the bandits faked too? Because I was really annoyed at those guys for what they did to Fox."

Fay glanced back at Falco "Actually, the bandits were sorta planned, we spread rumors that an easy target would be passing over Macbeth. Easy loot, tech, you name it. We had no idea if they would show up, we just kinda hoped." She turned back to Fox "What we didn't plan on, was you finding out about that attack and rushing to help. Command practically had to threaten Fara to continue on the mission and to not contact you in anyway once she found out you had come to try and save her." Fay paused again "She couldn't call out to you, but she could hear everything you were saying, even after she had 'died'."

Fox's face hardened just slightly "The body?"

Fay sighed "We arranged for a another fennec to be on the shuttle, somebody who looked a lot like Fara. During the trip, she was given a copy of Fara's flight suit, just for the purpose of identifying so that we could claim her legally dead."

Fox raised a hand, stopping Fay again "Do I need to go find anybody related to this person and tell them that the government lied to them?"

Fay shook her head rapidly, causing the bow in her hair to flop around "No! They were informed that their daughter had helped saved the lives of countless passengers by sacrificing herself. We told them that the body was destroyed and that ashes were all that remained."

Fox sighed and waved at Fay to continue "Well, I don't know any details about Fara's mission, but considering that Lylat never collapsed in on itself like we saw in the data, I can guess that she stopped it somehow. How Miyu and I came to be 'dead' was a entirely different thing." Fay glanced around the team. "I just want to say now, that I'm sorry for that, if Fara hadn't personally requested our help, I never would have done that."

Fox spoke up "She requested your help?"

Fay nodded focusing on him again "Yes, you see, four years ago, Fara made contact with her handler. Saying things were starting to get over her head, and out of control, she suspected that the Remnants knew about her. So she wanted some back up, but not just anybody, she wanted Miyu and myself. To do so, of course we had to get 'dead' as well. Miyu and I were up for it, it was a chance to see Fara again after so many years, and if we could help her end her mission that much faster, she could come back to you." Fay glanced at Krystal "Although I'm not sure about that now."

Fox glanced at Krystal as well, then turned back to Fay. "Continue."

"Well, since the only fame that Miyu and myself had was flying with you guys for a year or so. We didn't need such a flashy 'exit'. Instead we just bordered a cruiser bound for Macbeth and set a self destruct on it. We left on a small shuttle and went about disguising ourselves and landed on Macbeth to meet up with Fara. Once the shuttle exploded, we sent a tight beam message to Pepper to pass on the news, and start running the new report about how we had died during a military raid on Fortuna."

Fay sat up a little straighter on the stool "After we landed on Macbeth with our new names and looks." Fay paused and looked back at Falco who was dressed in blue jeans with a black shirt. "By the way, after having to be a black collie for a good four years, I really don't like the color."

Falco waved his hand in the air dismissively "Deal with it sister."

Fay smiled then turned back to Fox. "I can't go into much detail about the mission, because one it would take to long, and two, as a just in case. But we met up with Fara, exchanged stories for a bit then she took us to where the Remnants had set up base. We were to be brought in as trainees in the group and do what ever needed to be done to continue up the ranks." Fay paused and shuddered "I did some really dark things guys, if I ever get the clearance to tell you about any of it, I hope you'll still want to be my friends. Things were going great, or rather as great as they could go up until about half a year ago. Rumors started to circulate that their was a Cornerian Spy inside the group, sending out secrets one by one. The whole operation was to be moved to a different planet, but nobody knew which one. Fara was concerned that she was the suspect one, but was also worried about the two of us. When the leaders announced that they knew who the Spy was, Fara turned to us and told us to keep our cover, no matter what."

Fox held up his paw again. "Before you continue, do you know who the leaders are?"

Fay shook her head sadly "No, they only communicate by voice transmission, I don't think anybody at the base knew who was really pulling the strings. I still have no clue. Anyway, they gathered all of us at the Macbeth base into a auditorium one day and told us that they were going to demolish the base with everybody in it to kill the spy and stop her corruption from spreading to other cells. Fara made a big show of drawing her blaster and shooting the screen, then jumping on the stage and trying to take out the guards keeping people from the exit." Fay paused "She put up a hell of fight, but was eventually subdued, and taken away. Miyu and I kept our cover, I was moved to the Fortuna cell a few months later, but I think Miyu just escaped while she could to try and find Fara. She left me a note on how to contact her if I ever got out. Anyway, I was considering doing just that when we were told to get ready to fight Star Fox." she glanced around at them "I figured it was a sign and broke my cover to help Falco and Slippy. I hoped that after I reveled myself, I could enlist you guys to help me."

Fay paused and looked around "I think that's everything you need to know."

Fox nodded "Okay, I'm willing to take you at face value. Krystal backed up everything you said as truth. But you could have just as easily convinced yourself of that and Krystal would still sense it as truth." Fox glanced behind him at Krystal "Sorry to throw doubt on you." He said in response to her arched eyebrow. He turned back to Fay. "So, here is what I'm proposing: For now, we'll go with you to this meet up area. If and only if Miyu is there, _and_ can back up your story, will I look into letting you hire us."

Fay raised an eyebrow "Hire you?"

Fox nodded "I take care of my family, that means that I treat everything like a job." Fox stood up, Krystal and Slippy copying him. "Second, I promised Falco our next job would be at full price."

Falco lifted a feathered hand with one finger lifted in the direction of Fox. "Sure, turn me into the bad guy." Krystal giggled softly behind Fox, while Slippy shook his head slowly.

Fay sighed heavily "Fine, we'll figure out something as payment."

Fox nodded "Don't sound so down, we won't discuss pay until after we rescue Fara. I may just end up waving our costs."

Fay looked up at him while Falco sat up in his chair and glared at him. "Aw dammit, I knew it was too good to be true."

Krystal giggled again and Fox nodded at Fay. "Until then, I suggest you get some sleep, this new ship actually has room for more then four pilots at a time. I'll have ROB meet you here in a few to show you to a spare room." Fox turned to leave then stopped and turned back towards Fay with his hand out. "I want to see this note that Miyu left." Fay paused for a moment staring at his hand before sighing once more and reaching underneath her flight vest and handing him the piece of paper there.

Fox nodded his thanks "I'll see you in the morning Fay. I'll have Rob head us to..." he trailed off and glanced at the paper "Macbeth. I assume you understand the rest of the symbols here?"

Fay nodded "I can take over when we get there."

Fox said nothing just turned towards the door. "I think I'll actually have Falco show you the spare room."

Falco's insult was lost to the two foxes as the door slid shut behind them. Fox and Krystal turned to the left and headed for the elevator that would take them to the bridge. As they walked Fox closed his mind off and let his thoughts turn to his past. He stayed this way during the entire trip to the bridge. He only emerged from his meditative mood to tell ROB to put them on a course to Macbeth and to keep an eye on Fay.

Rob had replied with an affirmative and that their ETA was eighteen hours. Krystal had followed the silent Fox off of the bridge with an amused expression on her face. While her powers were still increasing every dat, she found it difficult to pierce the storm of thought that blasted around his head. She was able to sense that the thoughts were centered on Fara, and since he had already admitted that he _had_ loved her. It made Krystal...curious.

Fox eventually made it to their shared room and they went about getting ready to sleep. For once Krystal was the first to doze off, and the last peg she had on Fox's mind before she slipped into sleep was that storm of thought still raging.

So when she awoke a few hours later and Fox was no longer in the bed beside her, she sat up looking around for him. She felt out with her mind and felt him in the living room area that was adjacent to their bedroom. Sensing that the same stormy thoughts still dominated his mind, Krystal got out of bed and wrapped a robe around herself before heading to the door.

She knuckled the release switch and the door slid open into the pitch black room. Krystal waited for a moment for her eyes to adjust before she saw Fox sitting on a love seat. He was dressed only in shorts and his muscled form called out for her. She walked over and realized that his head was held in his palms and that his eyes were moist. Krystal sat down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder, just waiting.

After a few moments of waiting, Krystal probed his mind gently and realized what had woken him up with tears.

She lifted her head from his shoulder and instead draped an arm across of them. She put her muzzle next to his ear and whispered. "I caught a part of that love, please...let me help. Calm your mind and let me in."

Fox said nothing for a moment, but after a few seconds he nodded and Krystal stood up to move in front of him, she leaned down and put her forehead against his. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

* * *

><p><em>When she opened her eyes she found herself floating in space, she glanced around and realized that she was in the Meteo area. Large chunks of rock tumbled past her floating form and Krystal was curios as to why Fox was thinking so hard on this area. <em>

_She turned around to see a giant red shuttle heading towards her. She watched it as it got close, moving to the side to let it pass her. Krystal watched the side and realized that the shuttle was a Phoenix Corp Transport shuttle. As it brushed by Krystal realized that its engines were damaged and a few of them were belching fire from damage to the core. Behind the transporter a fight was being waged between two Arwings and numerous bandits. _

_The raiders were using the old Venom Flea fighters that Andross had left abandoned in various bases and there were quite a few of them. The easily outnumbered the two sole craft by 200 to 1. Krystal watched amazed as the two pilots repeatedly pulled off amazing stunts to avoid fire, while swiftly cutting through the ranks of the fighters._

_After fifty minutes of intense battle in which the Arwings picked off a good sixty percent of the enemy fighters a voice rang out through space._

"_That's it, _no _haul is worth this. Why the hell is McCloud here anyway?"_

_Falco's cocky voice echoed around Krystal next "Ha, damn right, you back off, you don't want to mess with Star Fox man. Just leave that shuttle alone and we'll be chill."_

_That same dark voice that Krystal guessed belonged to an ape echoed out again. "Ha, I said it wasn't worth it, I never said I was leaving. I have no idea what the hell is on there that you two are fighting so hard for, but kiss it good bye."_

_Without warning a large red beamed erupted from deep in the Meteo belt, striking the now still carrier right through the aft section, skewering its plasma core. Before the captain could even think of dumping the core, the energy feedback caused the large device to explode. The massive shock wave blasting out from the huge fireball that only existed in space for a few seconds before dieing out, leaving pieces of the shuttle to drift off and every single direction._

_Krystal closed her eyes and put her hand to her head as a sudden pain shot through her frontal lobe. A wailing voice full of grief and anger echoed around and in her, down to the very core of her being, almost deafening her in its power._

"FARA!" _Fox's voice echoed, surrounding her in its sudden shocking pain_

_The shout echoed and rebounded with in Krystal until she thought she would burst, and the serene area of space around her shattered as one of the Arwings broke off from the bandits and blasted at a reckless speed into the Meteo belt, following where the red beam had come from._

_Krystal suddenly had Gravity pulling her towards the ground and she found herself standing on the bridge of a ruined cruiser. Out through the view port, a massive cannon could be seen with pieces drifting off of it and sparks still leaping from piece to piece. Her ears twitched as she heard the sound of fists repeatedly impacting on flesh behind her. She turned and covered her mouth with a silent gasp._

_Fox was straddling an ape, who's arms lay limply at his side, his will to fight gone as the vulpine who straddled his chest continued to pound away at his face. Suddenly Falco came rushing in from the side._

"_Fox, buddy, he's done, he can't fight back, get off him man." Falco put an arm on Fox's shoulder and was slugged across the beak for his trouble. Fox snarled at his friend then turned back to the ape beneath him. His fists continued their deadly dance across his skull._

"_Why? Why? Why?" He shouted over and over into the face of the ape._

_Falco got back up from where his sudden blow had put him and walked up behind Fox, wrapping an arm around his friends neck and dragging him away from the limp form. When his fists no longer found purchase on the apes bloody face Fox started kicking, his feet flying out to strike the primate in the ribs as many times as possible._

_When he could no longer touch the ape at all he started struggling against Falco "Let me go, he needs to pay, he killed Fara, and for WHAT?"_

_Falco tightened his choke hold just a bit, actually starting to cut the air off from his friend. "Fox, Dude, I'm the angry one remember, you need to cool it. Now."_

_Fox struggled roughly against Falco for several moments before his fight died out and he hung limply from his friends arms. After a little bit he spoke up in a soft voice. "I'm...done Falco...let me go."_

_Falco released his friend, but instead of standing up Fox fell to his knees and let the tears start to fall. Falco left him to it for a moment, looking awkward before he walked over and put a wing on his friends shoulder._

_The view faded from Krystal's sight and she blinked, finding herself standing in a morgue. Empty exam tables surrounded her except for one that stood in front of her covered in a sheet, partially obscuring the from that laid underneath, she glanced to her left and realized that Fox was standing next to her, Falco slightly behind him, they were both dressed in their flight suits and Krystal guessed that from the blood that covered Fox's sleeves they had just landed after the scene she just witnessed._

_A doctor walked into the room and approached the boys, standing on the other side of the table in front of Fox. He glanced at Fox "McCloud?" The badger asked, looking to confirm his guess. Fox nodded and the Badger looked down at the sheet. "You're so young, how old are you?"_

"_Sixteen." Fox mumbled under his breath._

_The badger sighed "I should wait for the parents, but you claim that you can ID her so..." The Badger trailed off as he put a hand down on the sheet."Brace yourself boys."_

_The Badger slowly pulled the sheet off and Falco turned his head slightly, Fox's gaze was stuck to what remained of the body. Fox stared for a minute at the decimated figure laying on the table before him. It was hard to be sure since the body was missing its head, but the pieces of the flight suit that still clung to the flash burned skin confirmed his thoughts. Only Fara had worn that style of suit. He had kissed her goodbye as she had gotten on the shuttle just a few hours ago._

_Fox nodded and gulped heavily, his gorge struggling to come out. In front of him was all the remained of his first love and he hated having to be the one to confirm it. The Badger saw his nod and covered the remains back up. The badger wrote something on a piece of paper and looked up at Fox. "I'm sorry son."_

_Fox said nothing and the scene faded from Krystal's sight again._

_Falco opened his mouth to say something and Krystal blinked to find herself standing next to a grief stricken Fox dressed in a dark suit, watching as a casket was lowered slowly into the hole before them. Somber music played in the background and tears ran down Fox's face. Across the pit, two fennecs stood side by side, a male with a female curled into the males arms and tears running freely down her face, the males face was tear stained as well, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the brown box as it touched down on the bottom. A dull thump echoed out of the pit and light faded from Krystal's eyes_

_When light returned to her senses she saw Fox sitting in a bar, nursing a bottle of beer, there were several empty bottles next to him and even a few on the floor. Falco was sitting next to him, watching his buddy drink._

_After a minute of staring Fox spoke up. "I killed her Falco, I couldn't let her go on her own. If I had just stayed clear they would have made off with some cash and Fara would safely be with parents right now." Fox lifted his half full bottle to his lips and pulled until the glass bottle was empty. He put the bottle down heavily on the counter and waved for another one. The Bartender glanced at Falco who shook his head slightly. He turned to his friend._

"_Fox, you don't know that, you couldn't have had any idea that those bandits had a cruiser ship hidden in the belt."_

_Fox turned blood shot eyes to his friend "Yea, but if I hadn't shown up and attacked them they wouldn't have needed to fire that stupid thing in the first place." He turned away from his friend, waving his hand for another beer, when it didn't come he turned back to Falco. "Don't you get it Falco, I heard one little rumor that bandits were planning on attacking that shuttle and I leaped in without thinking. Because of that I caused her death, those bandits didn't kill Fara Phoenix, I did, it was all me. I don't deserve to be called a McCloud, and I sure as hell don't deserve to lead Star Fox." Fox turned away once more. Krystal realized that some time had passed and Fox had been doing this for almost a year now. Falco tagging along to make sure his friend didn't do something stupid and get himself killed. _

_Krystal found herself drifting towards the memory version of Fox, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. He of course didn't react, and Krystal wished there was something she could do to help him. Fox suddenly turned to Krystal and buried his head in her chest, startling the vixen who blinked._

* * *

><p>As she cleared her eyes of tears with rapid blinks, Krystal found herself back in the darkened living area on the Great Fox. She was kneeling on the ground in front of the love seat while Fox left his face buried in his chest, having fallen off his perch to his knees. Hot tears streaming down into his fur while Krystal held him.<p>

"Krystal, I-I thought that I had lo-lost her. That I had fai-failed to protect her. It felt like everything was my fault and-"

Krystal shushed him before whispering into his ear "Fox, you are an amazing creature with a huge capacity for love and emotions. But you bottle everything up when its negative and let it fester inside of you until its ready to erupt. It's not healthy..please...let me heal you..."

Fox sniffed "How could you help me..."

Krystal laughed softly "Well, since you asked." Krystal closed her eyes again and this time she opened her mind, enveloping Fox's inside hers.

Fox gasped softly as first, sure Krystal had mind spoken to him before...but this...this was on a whole new level. He could...sense...everything about her, her hopes, her fears, her secrets, her feelings, everything. It was all out for him to touch with his mind.

Fox blinked and instead of seeing Krystal's chest while she held him in the darkness, he was suddenly staring at himself holding out a staff towards his blue...no..._her..._blue furred grip. He blinked again and and suddenly he found himself standing on the lip of the hole that Krystal was dangling from. Her thoughts swimming about him.

* * *

><p><em>The Vulpine pulled her up and Krystal's eye locked with his as she hung from the lip. Attractive...was the word that came to her mind as the statute head floated over them, shouting about his rebirth and to kneel before them.<em>

"_We will never kneel to you." she shouted, pointing at him. She turned her gaze back to the vulpine that had saved her. Realizing that he had her staff across his back She reached forward and grabbed it._

"_Give me that!" She called out as she yanked it from his bag. She ignored his voice as she felt her mind reconnect with the staff._

"_My Staff!" Her mind quickly turned to Andross and Fox realized for the first time that Krystal had met Andross already. On her home world. Krystal opened her eyes and turned her gaze to the statue above her. "You're back!" she quickly activated the fire blaster option and sent the burning plasma into the skies after Andross as he opened a warp gate and retreated through it. She was dimly aware of the Vulpine running off and hopping into his Arwing. Krystal fired a few more plasmic blasts into the gate as the Vulpine flew into it and Krystal blinked, lowering the staff slowly._

_She then glanced around her, her gaze was directed to the heavens again though as green flashes made themselves known to her eyes. She focused on them and realized she could just barely make out the face of Andross's Statue Ship, and there...that little dot spewing lasers at it. That must have been. Krystal glanced down at her staff and focused her thoughts on it, reading the telepathic connection that the staff had formed._

_Fox...McCloud..._

_Krystal turned her gaze back to the heavens. 'Fitting.' she thought as she watched the battle rage high above her. Eventually another ship like Fox's flew by and Krystal shielded her eyes as a giant explosion lit up the night sky. This repeated a few more times before the ship that was half Andross half stone just, exploded. Its light forcing Krystal to cover her eyes and duck her head from the heat that somehow made it down to her._

_When the light faded Krystal turned her gaze to the starts once more, watching the ship make for the giant dreadnaught in orbit. She was dimly aware of the fact that Sauria was being combined into its whole again, as the Krozoa spirits helped channel the energy back into the ground. Krystal blinked as she realized that this meant she could access her shuttle. Thinking quickly she made a critical choice, running off towards to where the Warp Stone could summon her back. Passing by the many celebrating Sharpclaw. The knowledge of the stones location implanted from Fox's many memories of passing through. She reached the area where she had left the ship, hidden in the trees a distance away from Thorntail Hollow. _

_Relief spread through her as she found that the ship was in one piece. She quickly opened the hatch and sat down at the controls, hoping that she still had time. She lifted off the surface and set her scanners to look for the dreadnaught. Fox watched all this with interest, still floating behind her. He felt her disappointment as her scanner failed to locate the dreadnaught._

_It lifted a moment later when she detected another fighter, a twin to the one that Fox had flown. Krystal quickly set about following it, and was soon rewarded with her limited scanner detecting the dreadnaught. It quickly pinged her ship and the two computers traded information. The words' Great Fox' flashing up next to the dreadnaughts sensor icon. She flew towards it, a small smile playing about her muzzle. _

_Krystal quickly tapped out a communications request, reading a message to send ahead to the Great Fox. She brought her ship around towards the read docking bay, and quickly opened the canopy to hop out and head for the corridor that led towards the bridge. She eventually reached a small elevator and stepped in, tapping the the button for the bridge. As the elevator slid to a stop she could hear her message being played. She looked down at the floor as a grin crept across her muzzle. It was too perfect._

_As the doors slid open, she spoke up. "And that's to say thank you." Krystal smiled at him as she walked forward, easily telling how flustered he was. Behind him the toad laughed, asking Fox if he was shy. The Robot standing near the back reported the Fox's temperature was rising while the falcon who stood next to him elbowed the vulpine._

_Fox and Krystal shared a look and Fox blinked, suddenly finding himself back on Sauria. This time in a ruined temple on the surface. Outside he could hear the sounds of battle, he turned around as an explosion ripped through an archway behind him. Krystal tumbling out of the inferno with a shield barrier activated around her. It deflected the rounds from the Aparoids that were firing on her and she returned it in kind with her own blaster, quickly destroying the hatcher and all of the Aparoids in the temple._

_Krystal shouldered the blaster as Fox watched himself run into the temple. Krystal turned her head lazily to look at him. "I'm fine Fox." she said, with Fox looking around at the destruction she had caused. He nodded approvingly before Falco reported that there were more reinforcements. "I'll take care of the land, go help Falco and Slippy." Fox nodded again and ran out of the temple towards his Arwing. Krystal watched him with a smile on her face and..._

_Fox himself blushed as he realized what Krystal had been thinking of at the time._

_He blinked again and this time he found Krystal surrounded by Aparoids on their home world. For once wondering how she could get out of this with only an emergency charge in her blaster. As one of the bigger ones began charging its missiles, a lance of green energy slammed into the side of it. The Aparoid turned its head as Fox roared over the side of the area she was in. He landed the Land Master next to her and she hopped up on the side as he brought the barrel around, quickly destroying every Aparoid._

_Krystal patted the hull of the Land Master as she slid off of it. "Thanks for the help Fox." She pointed towards the hill he had come from. "Now go finish destroying those generators." The Land Master turned around and boosted up the hill. Krystal watching him go with a smile._

_Fox blinked again and suddenly he was standing next to a table. To his right sat Krystal, dressed in a blue gown that hung down over one shoulder with a strap running across the other. She was wearing her tiara and had her hair hanging loose with only a few strands being separated by her white beats. Her tail was bare as well and was waving gently back and forth as she leaned forward and put a hand out to grabs Fox's_

_She rubbed her thumb over the back of his palm. "Don't be so nervous." She said softly to the flustered vulpine sitting across from her. _

_Fox was wearing a black tux, complete with tie and had brought Krystal to one of the most expensive restaurants on Corneria. It was their first date, only taking place a few months ago and it had taken Fox so long to work up the nerve to ask her._

_Fox had to admit it was confusing to watch himself as he stumbled over conversation. He gasped as he felt a presence on his shoulder and turned to see another Krystal standing behind him. He glanced back at the two sitting at the table and then back at her. Realizing that she was projecting her thoughts to him. Her voice echoed through and around him._

"_You see Fox, you have plenty of good memories. I'm sure you have some of Fara as well. You should focus on those."_

_Fox got nervous as he realized that she wanted him to think back on their dates and...everything else. His nervousness was apparent and he wanted to try and figure out a way to tell her he didn't want to. The restaurant around them faded to black and Krystal walked up next to him. _

_She laughed softly as she threaded her arm through his. "Fox, our minds are linked, I can understand you. I realize that you don't want to go back to those memories. I understand why as well, you don't want me to be jealous of anything." She stared into his eyes. "Fox I love you, and nothing is going to change that. But if you don't let go of these bad memories that you have with Fara. You'll let it corrupt you and I'm afraid you'll push me away." Krystal glanced away from him. "Worse yet, I fear that you'll push everyone else away as well." She glanced back at him. "Please, I can sense you hiding them, even now, let me in, share that with him. Replace these bad memories with good ones, for your own good. But also for mine, I don't want to lose you."_

_Fox glanced away from her pleading eyes. He thought hard for a moment before he realized that he was doing exactly what she feared. Pushing her out. He turned back and nodded. Behind them a light shone and Fox saw his memories blast by in fast forward. _

_His and Fara's first meeting, his feelings, his nervousness again with the first date. Fox had gradually loosened up and they went on quite a few dates. Fara even flew with Star Fox for a short period of time. As the memories continued to flash past, Fox felt the dread that had settled in his heart earlier start to lift. He turned to Krystal who was standing next to him and pulled her into a kiss. His eyes drifted close as his lips met hers._

* * *

><p>When Fox opened his eyes he was back in his living area and sitting in the seat with Krystal. They pulled away from each other and Krystal smiled at him. Fox blinked and rubbed the back of his neck. "That, was pretty intense, what was it?"<p>

Krystal laughed softly "It's a mind link." She glanced down "It can be kinda rough the first time."

Fox nodded slowly "Yea."

Krystal probed his mind gently "I can still sense something there. Do you mind if we do it again?"

Fox shook his head and this time he didn't gasp when Krystal merged her mind with his. The couple spent the next hour, going through each others memories. Fox felt his own restrictions resolve and he freely shared everything with Krystal. Her pure heart merged with his and banished the last of the dread that claimed him. Fox finally sighed and pulled away from her, he cupped her muzzle gently and turned her face to his. "I love you, you know that?"

Krystal laughed softly again "I could piece that together."

Fox paused "Krystal, will you marry me?"

Krystal smiled and laughed again. "You already asked me that."

Fox grinned at her "I know, but I never heard your answer." Fox stood up and walked over to a dresser, taking a box from up top. He walked back over to her and guided her over to the love seat. He got down on one knee in front of her and opened the box. "Plus, asking while I slipped into a coma just isn't romantic." he paused and inhaled "Please, Krystal will you marry me?" He asked again presenting the ring inside the box to the vixen.

Krystal smiled and leaned forward planting a kiss on his forehead. "Of course." She answered, holding out a hand so Fox could slid the ring over her finger. As Fox's fingers released the ring onto its new home he grasped her hand tightly and pulled her down into a deep kiss. When they broke apart, both of them were breathing faster and their cheeks were burning with heat. "I don't know what I would do without you." He said softly.

Krystal smiled and cupped his muzzle in her paw "You would shake this system to its core with your team. You would wipe out any and all evil that showed its head." She kissed him again "Come on." She said standing up. "We still need some sleep. I have a feeling that Macbeth won't be easy when we get there, plus I sensed that Fay has more to talk about."

Fox stood up and smiled at her "Yea, and when has that ever stopped us?" he said holding out a hand which she took. "Never." She replied, leading him back towards the bedroom.

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><p><em><strong>I hope I didn't lose anybody in the 'mindlink' areas. If you did get lost, let me know and I'll rework the chapter to make it clearer. [I'm really tired right now, so somethings don't always pop out at me] and just so some people know, yes Fox doesn't really snap and lose his temper like that in the games. But I had his loss of control actually be the crystal event that helps him focus his emotions and bottle them up so that he can be a better pilot. Focus on the fight and all that what not. Basically, make him the Fox we all know.<strong>_

_**Okay so I also need to give out a few plugs to other people. First to Pen Vs the Sword. They helped inspire me to actually write this fic. The next to Kit for the same reason. But the last and biggest one goes to Times Quill. This guy has been going through my story and noting every little mistake for me to fix. That is some damn dedication right there. So thanks to all of you and see you in the next chapter. Macbeth and Danger. [I'm still working on the chapter name, hush up with the laughing now : P]**_


	5. Plans Derailed

_**Okay, so here is the next chapter, I hope I haven't lost anybody yet with my story and as long as you keep reading and reviewing I'll keep writing for you all. On that note, this is a conversation heavy chapter, not a whole lot of action, that's for next chapter. I did try to bump up my use of descriptions a bit, so if that's too much or little you let me know so I can adjust accordingly. Now to leave you with.**_

_**Star Fox: **_**The ReArmed conflict**

_**Chapter 5: **_**Plans Derailed**

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><p><em>You've been busy since Cerinia...<em>

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><p>-|- Katina -|- Whiskey Base -|- The Next Morning -|-<p>

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><p>The gray double doors slid open and the gray bulldog walked in with a helmet tucked under his arm. He was dressed in a Katina flight suit, green started at his black boots and climbed up to his chest where it split off into a V to curve around his neck and meet up around at the base of his skull. His helmet was dyed the same forest green as his suit and his gray ears hung limply over his forehead, just sitting in the edge of his vision. Pinned to his left shoulder were the captain rank chevrons that he had just so recently acquired.<p>

He glanced around the solders barracks that he had just walked into. Most of the military style bunk beds were empty. Not a big surprise since his unit had yet to be activated, and it was the middle of the afternoon on Katina. He waited for a moment to see if any of his pilots in their bunks noticed their captain. When none did, he shook his head slowly with a smile and walked down the aisle, towards the back of the barracks room where his pilots had their rec-room area set up.

As he passed by the bunks he noticed out of the corner of his eye, a few of the pilots start to nudge each other and quickly leap out of their bunks coming to attention. He waved them down gently entering the large room at the back of the barracks. To his left were two pools tables, each one had four pilots standing in various poses around them, each one with a pool stick and paying very close attention to the person making the next shot.

Up ahead there were three sets of boxing rings, set up to help keep the solders calm, and to also settle any differences they might have. Betting was banned of course, not that anybody who suddenly found themselves with some spending money after a fight would say anything. One was currently in use between a ferocious leopard who was currently unleashing a series of powerful blows onto padded lanky form of the wolf who was her current victim in the ring.

To his left there was a big screen tv set up with various reclining chairs and couches placed wherever the soldiers that currently occupied them pleased.

Captain Bill Grey walked up behind one of these oddly placed couches just in time to overhear two soldiers who were watching one of the many news reports from these' Remnants' that were attacking Lylat.

"Man, I tell ya, those Remnants must be crazy." The one of the right said. Bill eyed the husky, wondering if the conversation was going to go anywhere interesting. The eagle that she was talking to, turned his head slightly to focus on the large canine. "Yea, well at least they haven't been stupid enough yet to attack any military bases." The eagle turned his attention back to the TV "Although I kinda wish they would. Show em what happens when they attack something that can fight back. Only cowards go after the unarmed and innocent."

Bill cleared his throat and spoke up. "You want our base attacked?" The eagle and husky both turned at the same time. When they saw Bill the Eagle blinked and jumped to attention while the husky's eyes grew wide before she copied the eagles pose. Bill waved them down, "At ease you two, it was an honest question." Bill paused and eyed the eagle. "Well..."

The eagle sighed and rubbed a hand over his beak. "Well, Sir, it's been two weeks since Bulldog and Husky squad were finally mixed together. I know that this unit used to be all Canines and that you only accepted the best of us for your expanded ranks."

Bill glanced to the side to notice that all the pilots that had been occupied at the pool tables were now leaning up against the tables, their attentions now on the eagle. As Bill turned his gaze back towards the eagle he noticed that the two in the sparring rings were now leaning on the ropes watching the unfolding conversation.

Bill nodded at the eagle "Okay. Now, your point?"

The eagle gathered up his courage "Well Sir, all we have been doing is flying training sorties. You've never taken us out on patrol, and I just wonder if you ever will let us see combat."

Bill crossed his arms "So, you think I'm holding you guys back?"

The eagle paused and though about it for a moment, before he nodded "Yes sir, that's what I think."

Bill looked around at the suddenly silent room "Well, anybody else feel that way? Raise your hand if you do."

There were a few nervous shuffles before a few of the newer recruits raised their hands. Bill raised an eyebrow before turning back to the eagle. "Alright, I'll take that at face value." Bill walked into the center of the room. "So, if some of you think I'm holding you back. You obviously haven't heard from the rest of your squad what my training used to be like." Bill stole a glance around the room to make sure everybody was paying attention. "You know, you might be right, I went from being in control of two separate squads of ten pilots, to one massive squad of thirty that we call Whiskey. We got our own base, hanger, armory and ships." Bill paused "I also have no clue what I'm doing, this Captain thing is new to me. I'm still acting like this is a small flight where flying training sorties is the best practice I can give. But with new equipment should come new training."

Bill turned around "As you were, I need to go clear something with command." with that he walked briskly towards the double doors, leaving the barracks room staring after him in silence. A few of the old pilots from husky shot glances at each other, whenever Bill said something like that, it usually meant they were about to be shown up in someway. A slew of gazes turned to the eagle who was now wishing he hadn't spoken up.

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><p>-|- Great Fox II -|- Fox and Krystal's Quarters -|-<p>

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><p>Fox opened his eyes, his blurry view staring at the ceiling for a little bit before he closed them and sighed happily. Krystal had told him that they needed their sleep, but instead...he chuckled again softly and reached out his left hand to feel for his lover. He patted the bed a few times before he opened his eyes and sat up.<p>

Giving the sleepy orbs a quick rub with his fists he looked around their room. To his right their dresser drawers that were inset into the bulkhead held their undergarments. Next to that was a closet that was also inset into the thick bulkhead holding their flight suits and general outfits. Straight ahead was the door that lead out to their little living room area. On the left side were two more doors. The one on the right was the bathroom and the one of the left was a work out room. Tiny compared to the one on the lower decks but sometimes the two just wanted to work out alone.

Fox pushed the covers off of his body and stepped out of bed, shivering slightly as the chill of space was felt over his body. He walked to his closet and quickly grabbed some green slacks and a black T-shirt. He hopped across the room with the T-shirt in his mouth while he pulled on the pants. He approached the workout room door and pulled his T-shirt over his head before palming the switch next to the door. As the door slid open, Fox felt his eyes widen slightly.

Krystal was dressed in a similar outfit as Fox, except where he had green slacks, she had blue jeans with a light blue shirt. But what had his eyes widen was the advancement of Krystal's powers. Telekinesis had already showed itself when she leveled an entire level of a shopping mall with its explosive reveal. Since that day almost two weeks ago, Krystal had been meditating daily to make sure such an outburst never happened again. She had obviously been making progress as Krystal herself floated a good four feet off the ground. Her fur rippling like a gentle breeze rolled across it. Around the training room, various pieces of equipment, from their sparring rods, to Krystal's actual staff, and even including their various training dummies were all floating in a circle around here.

Whenever one passed by on its path directly in front of her, she would open her right hand and give it a gentle wave, spinning the object in a circle several times while it continued on its floating path. Fox found himself facing his future wife with several things floating around her, and was quite surprised. He took a step forward and let out a small exclaim of surprise when his body was suddenly lifted off the ground by a pressure that suddenly surrounded his whole body. The objects that had been circling around Krystal all floated back to their normal resting places. Krystal's staff passed him by as it floated out the open door behind him to attach itself to its charging bracket above their bed. The training staffs floated over to their weapons rack, which had also been making loops of Krystal, each staff floating into its small cut out on the rack and then the rack itself floated over to the left side wall and settled into its groove that was to help keep it in place. The three training dummies all floated past Fox to the right to line up next to each other along the wall. Fox turned his gaze back to Krystal as he floated to a stop, his face even with hers.

Krystal opened her eyes and leaned forward planting a kiss on the surprised vulpine lips. Fox closed his eyes and deepened the kiss. After several moments, Krystal pulled back. Fox opened his eyes and Krystal sensing his thoughts laughed gently. "Save it for later love." she told him as Fox found himself being lowered to the ground. He crouched slightly as his feet touched the ground and he felt the pressure around him let go. He glanced up as Krystal floated slowly down, unfurling her legs to land softly on the ground. She grinned over at Fox. "Well?"

Fox shook his head in amusement as he jokingly said "Well, at least you didn't destroy our workout room."

Krystal grinned at him and waved a paw, and Fox found himself wrestling with his own T-shirt as it tried to force itself off his body. Krystal laughed as Fox glared at her while wrestling with the shirt, only managing to get it back to normal when she let go of it mentally. Krystal put a fake pout on her face, tapping one of her digits on her chin "I dunno Fox, I kinda like you better with it off."

Fox raised an eyebrow "Ha. Ha." He said dryly as he turned and walked from the room, Krystal following with a giggle. As they walked through the room heading for their living room Fox glanced over his shoulder "What is everybody up to?"

Krystal closed her eyes briefly as they crossed the living room "Hmm...Slippy is on the bridge, and from his thoughts, appears to be talking to his dad about getting a warp gate opened so that we can shave a week off our trip to Macbeth. Falco is currently in the armory shooting range, testing out a new handgun that one of the salvage teams gave him before we left orbit during the night. Fay is sitting in our rec room." Krystal paused and Fox glanced over his shoulder at her as he unlocked their door and it slid up. "Hm...I still can't get through that barrier that Fay has put around her mind. But, she does seem to be...restless."

Fox nodded and turned back towards the hallway, he was somewhat surprised when Krystal continued to speak. "Danielle, Xena, and Saz are down in the main engine room, Danielle is working on a power balance, while Xena works on rewiring the power draw for the main guns. Saz is checking over the communication system from the bridge gun control to the actual weapons themselves."

The couple continued down the hall and Fox glanced to his right as Krystal sped up to walk evenly with him. "Those engineers stayed on board, even though we're leaving the defense fleet behind?"

Krystal nodded and focused her mind once more. "From what I can gather from Xena's mind, they received clearance during the night. Part of Pepper's payment I think. He wants them to work with Slippy to finish getting the ship one hundred percent. After that, their to report back to the fleet, where ever it may be."

Fox nodded "Alright, lets have ROB get them actual quarters when we get to the bridge. We may not have been able to get spots for the entire team, but we should still have room for those three."

Krystal nodded "and Fay of course." Fox returned her nod and the two continued walking until they reached the central elevator. They stepped into the waiting car and passed the ride in silence. Although Krystal could tell that Fox was already planning on what other questions he wanted to ask Fay when they got around to it. The elevator cruised to a stop and the doors slid open.

Fox whistled softly as he walked onto the bridge, those engineers had worked fast, where as yesterday when he had left the bridge with various panel covers pulled off and wires everywhere. The bridge was now spotless, all the panels in their right spots and the few critical panels that required constant monitor flashing gently as their various systems ran.

ROB was sitting in his area of the ship to their left, his arms constantly moving back and forth between the five panels laid out in front of him. He turned his head slightly to face them.

"Welcome Fox. Great Fox II is at 87% function, with main cannons still needing work. Shielding systems are online, with the backup shield systems configured as the old system was. Fuel Cells are still at 84% with two back up sets on standby if they are needed. Energy Core is running at 98%." ROB turned back to his panels as Fox nodded and he and Krystal walked around the side of the over hang to the stairs the lead down to approach Slippy who was sitting at the communications station, an open channel allowing him to talk to another toad.

Fox and Krystal approached as Slippy finished his conversation with his dad. "I'll tell them Dad, and I'll get back to you after I talk with Fox. See ya."

Slippy closed the channel and turned to find Fox and Krystal standing behind him. "Ah, F-Fox, you scared me."

Fox patted the toad on the shoulder "Sorry Slip, but that's not to hard."

Slippy stood up from his chair "That's true." he turned to face his leader. "Anything you need?"

Fox nodded "Actually, what did you need to talk to me about?"

Slippy scuffed the foot with his sneaker. "Ah, that, well, you see, Cornerian High Command has locked down the orbital gate system. Unless you have clearance from them of course."

Fox sighed "So basically only a military fleet can use it."

Slippy nodded "Yea, pretty much, Dad thinks he might be able to get them to sway for us...but.."

Fox raised an eyebrow while Krystal covered her mouth already sensing what Slippy had been told by his dad. "Apparently High Command is willing to let us slid if we pay a fee for them clearing us to use the gate system."

Fox felt his jaw drop slightly "You're...kidding!" Fox glanced at Krystal as she shook her head sadly. "No?" Fox turned his gaze back to Slippy. "Wow, that is...we save this system from Andross four times, and then the Aparoids and they won't let us through the gate system one time. That's gratitude for ya I guess." Fox sighed and turned away from the two "What is this system coming to?" he asked himself as he walked over to his seat on the bridge, dropping heavily into the chair. Krystal walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up with a grin at her. "I'm fine." he said softly as he reached forward and tapped a button on his arm rest.

A beep echoed out faintly from one of the hallways that ran along the bridge and Fox cleared his throat. "Listen up, would our extended engineer crew please finish what they are doing and make their way up to the bridge. I need to speak with you three. Falco, Fay, please head to the kitchen area, Krystal and I will be there shortly." Fox dimly heard his voice repeating out in the hallway and nodded. He released the button he was holding and Slippy walked over to him. "You need me here as well Fox?"

Fox nodded at him "Of course." Fox got up out of his chair and did some light stretches as Krystal and Slippy moved to their seats on the bridges over hang. Fox turned out to the Great Fox's viewport, since the bridge jutted out like the neck of a an actual fox. He had an unobstructed view of space. It was calming to him, just seeing all the stars. He folded his arms behind his back, just at the base of his spine and watched space as they moved through it.

It was five minutes later that the elevator doors opened with a whoosh of air and Fox turned his head to glance at the engineers out of the corner of his eyes. The three of them moved down the stairs along the side each one coming to stand just behind Fox and saluting. Fox turned to face them and waved them down.

"At ease you three, like I said yesterday, this is a mercenary ship, not military."

Danielle stepped forward "With all due respect Captain Fox, we feel that we owe it to you. We've heard of some of your exploits, but after you left the bridge yesterday we got a full breakdown of what you and your team has done. It's an honor to help you in anyway possible."

Krystal laughed softly as Fox thought of something to say. "Uh...well, I'm glad you're here to help, and that you feel like you owe me that..." He trailed off and looked at the floor "Okay, that sounded dumb." He glanced back up at the three of them "Tell ya what, just call me Fox, and you can call it even."

Danielle nodded and stepped back, relaxing her pose slightly. Fox noticed that her jumpsuit from yesterday was wrinkled and covered in a variety of stains, as was her partners jumpsuits. Fox turned his gaze back to Danielle "Right, I called you to the bridge to ask you a few questions."

Danielle nodded "Shoot."

Fox gestured to her jumpsuit "When was the last time you rested, or changed clothes?"

Danielle picked at her suits sleeve, crinkling her muzzle as she sniffed it. "Well, we worked most of the day and night, and when we got tired, we just found a table or something down in the engine room and slept."

Fox shook his head slowly "You guys should have come and gotten me, I wasn't aware you had stayed with us until this morning." He turned his gaze up slightly to look at ROB. "ROB, are those spare rooms on deck E still empty?"

ROB paused for a moment before pressing a few keys. "The guest quarters on deck E are empty and none of them have been used for storage." Fox nodded and turned back to Danielle. "Alright, I'm giving you an order: You three get down there, choose a room, throw your clothes into the laundry chute and get some actual sleep. You guys have earned it."

Danielle exchanged glances with her partners before facing Fox. "Thank you Fox. We appreciate it."

Fox raised a hand, palm out. "No thanks necessary, you three are fixing my ship, faster then I hoped to get it done. You're also helping Slippy by giving him more time to work on our Arwings. This is the least I can do." Fox paused "Although, while we are on the subject, how long do you think until you get the Great Fox II running at 100%?"

Danielle shrugged "Depends, Space Dynamics makes some solid ships, and considering there aren't a whole lot of fox shaped dreadnaughts around, you custom ordered this too. You shouldn't have anything to worry about, except that the crew who wired this bad boy, could not have been with Space Dynamics. There are so many issues all over, Saz had to spend most of the night rewiring the controls from the bridge to the guns." Danielle glanced back at Saz "He just barely got that done this morning." Danielle turned her gaze back to Fox. "Rough guess, at least a week, possibly longer."

Fox nodded and turned to Saz who stepped forward "I got everything wired the way it should be, but I won't know for sure until you test them."

Fox glanced behind him out the viewport, he could see an asteroid in the distance that had gotten free of Meteos, a small grin tugged at his muzzle. He turned back to the engineers and called out to ROB again. "ROB, can the energy core handle the drain of a main gun test fire?"

ROB paused again running some calculations in his head. "The core can support the guns at this moment, although there appears to be a power balance issue along the transfer units so repeated use is to be avoided. Unless of course you want to send a surge through the guns themselves."

Fox shook his head "Nope, call up the targeting and start cycling power to the main guns."

ROB pressed a few keys "Target?"

Fox turned and gestured out to the asteroid which had gotten bigger and was turning out to be a rather large chunk of space debris. "That rock, I want it out of our way instead of going around."

ROB pressed a few more keys "Target confirmed, mass is almost equal to the Great Fox I. Energy is cycled and guns are loaded and ready to fire." ROB looked at Fox "Manual control?"

Fox nodded at ROB, then faced Saz. "Well, you worked the hardest on them." Fox pointed to a console that was directly across from the communications console that Slippy had been using earlier. "Be my guest Saz, just don't miss."

ROB spoke up "Target is locked, probability of missing-"

Fox spoke up, cutting off ROB "It was a joke ROB, just go back to monitoring."

Fox turned to Saz who was staring at the console, Saz turned his gaze back to Fox. "You're joking right? Just messing with me?"

Fox shook his head "Nope, go on and fire before we hit the damn thing."

Saz nodded and walked over to the console, staring at the screen inlaid in the controls. He reached out a hand and touched the control stick that was inlaid into the panel, testing to make sure the guns were locked on the asteroid. After that he reached out and pressed the glowing blue button just above the control stick.

There was a slight shudder that was felt through the deck plates and the lights dimmed just slightly, but from underneath the viewport, two giant yellow beams pulsed out, striking the asteroid in front of them. Their energy washing across the surface as their discharge forced their solid slugs deep into the core of the asteroid, causing the rock to crack apart and fly off into different directions from the impact.

Saz turned his gaze from the screen on the console to the viewport. "Okay, that was cool."

Krystal laughed gently before she tapped a few controls. "Increasing the strength of bridge and forward shields to compensate for the new debris."

Saz walked back over to the Fox and his partners. "Thanks for that."

Fox just smiled "Hey, you spent all night on them, you might as well get the chance to see your work pay off."

Saz looked at Danielle and jerked a thumb at Fox "He's pretty cool, I don't suppose you want to ask if he would like another engineer to help him out around here."

Fox laughed while Danielle swatted the cat playfully on his shoulder. "I may look you guys up if I ever need help with the ship again."

Danielle held out a hand "I'll shake to that."

Fox glanced at the paw before taking it in his own and returning the shake. "Deal."

Danielle nodded and turned to face the other two. "Come on, lets go get some real sleep, then Xena, you and I need to look into that power issue while Saz can double check the gun systems." The three engineers walked towards the elevator, giving a quick \wave to both Slippy and Krystal as they passed by them. As the doors slid shut behind them Slippy turned to his console. He stood up when a beeping noise sounded through out the bridge, and walked over to the communications console, he turned to look at Fox. "Hey, Fox, we got an inbound transmission from Katina."

Fox turned to face the toad. "Katina...Bill?"

Slippy shrugged, "It doesn't say, want me to accept?"

Fox nodded "Sure, put it on the main screen too."

Slippy pressed a few buttons and a large screen slid out, blocking the front windows of the viewport. The screen stayed dark for a moment until Slippy pressed another button before it flashed into life to show a grinning bulldog. "Fox! You just like keeping me waiting or something?"

Fox walked towards the middle of the bridge leaning on the side of his chair "Yep, I figure that you get lots of respect as the leader of Husky and Bulldog. So much so, that your calls must be answered right away. Might as well make you wait for once."

Bill laughed on screen. "Yea, that was true."

Fox raised an eyebrow at his friend "Was?"

Bill pointed to his shoulder where his new rank glittered "High Command thought I was good enough to make me a full out captain over one large squad. You're now talking to the captain of the newly formed Whiskey squad."

Fox blinked then clapped his hands "Well, congrats man, about time they realized they have talent." Fox paused and grinned "Hey, a spot on Star Fox is still open if you want it."

Bill waved his paws at his friends joke "Pah, I got my own squad now, I'll keep them."

Fox shrugged, his grin still plastered on his face "Alright, well, I tried." his face did lose some of its grin as he asked his next question. "Anyway what's up, I'm sure you didn't call just to brag?"

Bill grinned "Actually, I kinda did." His face took on a more serious tone "Although to get down to it, I have an offer for you and your team."

Fox moved in front of his chair and sat down in it, leaning forward and cupping his muzzle in his paw. "Oh?"

Bill nodded "Yea, you see, the thing is, I'm used to two small flights, and some of my pilots don't think I'm really putting them to the test. So I figured what better way to show them that they still have more to learn then put them up against four of the best pilots in the system. Interested?"

Fox thought about it "I am, but the only thing is, we just finished a mission for Pepper out past Lylat, we're still a week out from the system, and we have other arrangements to stop over at Macbeth first as well. Even at our current max speed you're looking at week until we're at Macbeth. Then who knows how long that will take, it could just be a quite shuttle ride down or turn into a days long slog."

Bill frowned "Damn. Can you delay your Macbeth trip?"

Fox shrugged "Sorry man, it's kinda of a personal matter, so unless you can get us to Macbeth faster, I don't think we could be of much help."

Bill snapped his fingers "How come you guys aren't using the warp gate system?"

Fox scowled "Locked down for Military use, unless you're willing to pay apparently." Fox scoffed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms "Which I'm not."

Bill smiled "Then I think I can help you out. If I hire you, you'll be in the employe of the military again and I can give you clearance to use the warp gate to Katina. Should shave, what, four days off your trip? You can use those days to teach my squad a thing or two then head out with some time still to spare."

Fox leaned forward thinking. "Hmm, that does sound like a good deal. Macbeth _is_ only three days out from Katina." Fox glanced over his shoulder at Slippy and Krystal. "What do you two think? Up for a trip to knock Bill's flight around?" Krystal nodded in reply while Slippy shot him a thumbs up. Fox turned back to Bill. "Well, that's two, three really considering Falco is always ready for a chance to show off. You get us the clearance we need for the warp gate use and we'll spend the extra time showing your pilots how to really fly."

Bill nodded and gave Fox a casual salute "It's a deal buddy, I'll let you know when the gate is going to open."

Fox returned the nod "Thanks, talk to ya in a little bit."

Bills face blinked out to show the Katina's Military icon before the screen itself shut off and slid back up into its spot in the ceiling bulkhead. Fox got up out of his chair and turned to face Slippy and Krystal. "Come on you two, lets go talk to Falco and Fay."

Fox turned to face ROB as the two pilots stood up. "ROB, let me know when Bill gets back into contact."

ROB nodded and Fox lead his friend and fiance towards the elevator. As the doors slid closed behind them, Fox turned to face the panel and jabbed the button for deck C. The elevator began lowering and Fox turned to Krystal. "What do you think of the engineers staying behind?"

Krystal blinked "I didn't detect anything off about any of them again. Personally I do find it a little odd." Krystal turned to Slippy. "What about you, they were talking about legitimate problems with the ship right?"

Slippy paused, slightly surprised to be included in the conversation and unaware that he was supposed to be paying attention to what the engineers had been saying. "We-Well yea, they weren't lying about that. There are a host of problems with the wiring through out the ship. Mainly the bridge and what it controls. That power balancing issue was new to me, I checked it before we left Corneria. It's of course possible that while we were rewiring the bridge it could have gotten forced out of balance somehow."

Fox nodded "Alright, just call me cautious, but I want you down and helping them, making sure that what they are fixing actually needs to be fixed."

Slippy nodded and Fox turned back towards the doors as they slid open onto deck C. The three of them proceeded down the hallway and approached a door on their left side. As it slid open and the three of them entered the kitchen area Fox was slightly surprised to see Falco and Fay sitting directly across from each other at the table. Their faces were locked in a mask of concentration with neither one blinking while their bowls of cereal sat on the table in front of them forgotten.

Fox was about to speak up when Krystal put a hand on his shoulder. "They are having some sort of contest." she whispered in his ear. Fox glanced at her and she shrugged "There are credits at stake and Falco is rather sure that he'll win."

Fox turned back to the pair of them and just shook his head slowly, the three of them all got something to eat and sat down at the counter, watching Falco and Fay as they continued to stare unblinking at each other. After about three minutes of this Fox whispered to Krystal "Can you tell how long they have been going at this?"

Krystal leaned towards Fox to answer "Well, shortly after they both got here I think, so at least ten minutes now."

Falco grunted "Sounds about right, and Fay's about to fold, aren't ya Fay?"

Fay grinned, still keeping her eyes glued to Falco's "Not even close big mouth."

Fox glanced between the two of them. "Since you're capable of talking, care to tell me what exactly you're contest is?"

Falco sighed "It's a staring contest Fox, duh."

Fox blinked. "Staring." He turned to Krystal "That's it, we're screwed, we can't show up Bill's squad when I have a child as a wing-mate." He turned back to the contesting pair "Hey Fay, you want to help us teach Bill's squad how to fly?

Fay blinked and looked at Fox "What?" Falco laughed and slapped his hands down on the table. "HA! I win, fork over the credits Fay."

Fay turned back towards Falco "No way, that wasn't fair Falco, Fox distracted me."

Falco grinned and leaned back in his chair, "No, Fox asked you a question, he also asked me a question and I didn't break the stare." Falco leaned forward again, pointing at Fay "You did."

Fay frowned at Falco but eventually it broke into a grin and she reached into a pocket, pulling out five single credits and spreading them out in front of her. "Fine. But we need a rematch later." Falco swiped the credits into his hand and stuck them into a pocket in his flight vest "Sure, more money for me." Falco stood up and turned to face Fox. "Now what's this about showing up Bill's squads?"

Fox grinned at his friend. "It's squad now. Bill has a new larger squad and some of them apparently feel like he's not testing them enough."

Falco slapped a fist into his palm "So we get to go down there and knock them out of the sky. I'm game." A frown crossed his face for a moment "What you though Foxy? Up for flying?"

Fox looked down at his arm, which was now covered with a soft scrabble of fur, just starting to regrow after the events of Fortuna. "My arms fine for flying, my Rib are still slightly injured so I won't be doing any hand to hand, but as long as I keep the G-Diffuser up I should be fine to fly." Fox sighed "Modern Medicine, what would we do with out it?"

Falco just laughed "alright, you try and keep up then, maybe you can pick up a few things."

The taunt was old, and held value to the two old friends. "Fat Chance, Lombardi." Fox said with a grin.

Fay stood up and walked over "But what about Macbeth and Miyu?"

Fox focused on her "Taken into account, we can't use the Warp Gates to speed up without being military. So by taking this job, Bill can authorize us to use to the Warp Gate to Katina, shaves off about four days of our planned trip. So we'll spend a few days roughing up Bill's squad, then move on to Macbeth and still get there two days earlier then planned."

Fay looked down "Of course you planned ahead, I guess I forgot about that."

Fox raised an eyebrow at her "It's no big Fay, but, I actually have a few more questions for you. Head over to the Rec Room, I need to finish talking with Falco. We'll catch up."

Fay nodded and walked out of the room, leaving the Star Fox team alone. Fox turned to Falco as soon as the door closed behind Fay. "Did you know that those Engineers stayed on to help fix the ship?"

Falco shrugged as he leaned back up against a counter "Yea, so what?"

Fox paused "I'm not sure, I trust Danielle, she seems to upfront and honest about things, but Saz and Xena strike me as odd. They just have me acting cautious for some reason."

Falco snorted "Cautious? Like what, one of ems a spy?"

Fox nodded and Falco snorted again. "I think you're over thinking things Foxie. I think they are just here to help fix the ship and as soon as that's done they'll go back to Corneria or wherever and we won't see them again."

Fox paused "Maybe, but it still just seems...off to me." Fox shrugged "Anyway, just a heads up to keep your eyes on them, just in case."

Falco sighed "Alright Fox, I'll keep an eye out, I still think you're being over cautious though."

Fox turned towards the door with Krystal "Yea, better safe the sorry. You two head up to the bridge and keep an eye out for Bill's communications about the Warp Gate. I'll be quizzing Fay with Krystal again."

Falco pushed off the counter and led Slippy towards the door past Fox and Krystal. "Yea, we'll let you know, have fun with your Q&A."

Fox watched them go then nodded at Krystal and the two of them made their way down the two decks to the Rec Room. When they arrived they found Fay sitting in Falco's recliner, leaned back and watching the current events news on the television. As the door thunked closed behind Krystal and Fox however she spun the recliner around and sat up in it, facing the two pilots with a somber expression.

Fox and Krystal sat down on the couch across from Fay "Alright Fay, I've just got a few questions for you, in fact one that I should have asked yesterday."

Fay nodded and glanced at Krystal. "Let me guess, you still don't trust me to tell the truth so you brought Krystal again right?"

Fox glanced at his fiance "Actually, yes. There are a lot of strange things going on around Lylat right now, and I'm on the look out for...something. I'm not quite sure what. But this isn't about me Fay."

Fay nodded "Right, questions, what do you got?"

Fox leaned forward "Well for once, 14 didn't really sink in last night. It just seems a little too far fetched to be true."

Fay frowned "Yea, I wondered if you would ask me that. I know its hard to believe that was the whole point of the program that Fara, Miyu and I went through. We're just teens, how can we be spies? That's what Cornerian High Command wanted anyway. Quite a few of the people that went through it couldn't keep up with the intense training and studies we had to do. In fact I think there is only maybe, forty agents like me still operating. Out of those that made it through the program, I know of at least ten that couldn't take the stress and took their own lives. Plus another five that just cracked from different things, the government quickly caught them and put them into a care facility to try and figure out what happened."

Fay glanced between the two of them "I don't know why those agents couldn't handle it. I've never had an issue with anything I went through, neither has Fara and Miyu as far as I know."

Fox blinked "So what, Corneria trained you since you were..."

"Ten."

Fox's disbelief showed on his face, and in his voice "...Ten...really?"

Fay shrugged "It was a part of some program that showed that children were the most adaptable to extreme situations, but only if they were condition right. Then that was supposed to lead into some cold killer thing for when we were adults."

Fox nodded "Right. I'm still having trouble believing this, it's just, out there."

Fay nodded "You think I really thought about it when I first entered the program. For me it was just a chance to act like those cool spies from the movies." Fay paused "I was...corrected...of that view rather quickly."

Krystal spoke up, sensing something through Fay's block "Corrected how?"

Fay opened her mouth, then closed it, she closed her eyes and sighed, and Krystal winced as she got a bit more from Fay's mind. Fay opened her eyes and locked gazes with Krystal. "I would just rather not talk about it. Anything else you want to ask me, go ahead."

Krystal nodded "Alright, who taught you how to block me from your mind. As soon as you found out I was a telepath you set up some sort of block that has been very effective at keeping me out."

Fay nodded "Another one I was surprised I hadn't been asked yet. That's also something I can't go into with out High Commands authorization. For what I've already told you, I'm already look at Treason if they ever found out." She glanced at Fox "Also, I won't stop what I'm doing, because if you guys found out because she pulled it from my mind. It would still be my fault." Fay turned her gaze back to Krystal. "On that note, if you ever catch me with my blocks down and get something you shouldn't I ask that you keep it to yourself, or if you must share it, keep it between you two." Fay glanced down. "Please."

Fox paused for a moment while he thought about it. "Fair enough." He leaned back into the couch. "Alright last question, can you get everything you know about the Remnants onto a disc or something for me to look over? I have a feeling that they will play a big part in the teams future."

Fay cupped her muzzle with her paw as she thought about it. "I can give you some things, not everything mind you, but a fair amount of it."

Fox nodded "That's about what I've come to expect. But thank you." Fox looked over at the door as the panel next to it started beeping. "That's all I wanted to ask you right now." Fox said as he stood up, he glanced at Krystal who remained sitting. "Do you-? He cut off as Krystal shook her head. "Alright then." Fox walked over to the panel and pressed a flashing button.

Falco's voice echoed out from the speaker next to the button "Hey Fox. Bill got us cleared, the Gate is going to be opening here in about ten seconds."

Fox pressed another button "Alright Falco, have ROB take us through. Krystal and I will head to the bridge now."

"Roger boss man. See ya in a bit."

Fox turned to Krystal as he opened the door "Come on, lets go."

Fay stood up with Krystal. "What do you want me to do? I would rather not have a lot of people know I'm alive."

As Krystal walked through the open door, Fox turned to face her. "Well the contract is for the Star Fox team. I'll be taking Krystal, Slippy, and Falco down. I need somebody else up here to help ROB after we leave. Guess that's you." without waiting for a reply Fox turned and walked out the door leaving Fay to follow slowly, since she wanted to miss the elevator on purpose.

When Fox and Krystal stepped out onto the bridge just under a minute later they found the viewports mostly taken up by the glowing green disc of a warp gate. Fox walked down the stairs calling out as he went. "ROB what's the status of the Gate and the ship?"

"The Gate is stable and ready for transport. The Great Fox II is moving at half speed for the gate, and the shields have been set to phase with the gate and altitude thrusters are on standby."

Fox glanced up at ROB as he reached his chair "Why are the altitude thrusters on standby?"

ROB clicked a few keys before responding "According to Cornerian R&D records, Katina's Warp Gate is set to allow ship out in low orbit. The Great Fox II will need to have thrusters ready to put the ship into a Geosynchronous orbit."

Fox turned back to the viewport, now complete dominated by the gate "Well that seems like a dumb place to put a Gate exit." Fox leaned down and pressed a button on his armrest, activating the ship wide intercom. "Heads up, we're about to pass through a Warp Gate to Katina. It lets us out inside Katina's orbit so there may be some turbulence while we correct with the altitude thrusters."

Fox watched from behind his chair as the nose of the ship touched the edge of the gate and began to pass through it. Fox watched as the gate seemed to flex slightly as the ship pushed through it. It was always weird to watch the liquid like energy wash over the outside of the viewport to reveal an entirely new landscape.

This time was no different, as the viewports passed through the gate Fox could see Katina in the lower half of the viewport and Fox turned to ROB. "Stand by for thrusters."

As the rest of the ship passed through a shudder began to take the ship as it fought against Katina's gravity on one end and the nothing of space on the other. Then they were through and a heavy shudder had Fox stumbling slightly as the heavy thrusters on the bottom of the ship kicked on, helping to stabilize the ship. As the ship settled into its orbit, a beeping sounded from the communications console. Fox walked over and quickly pressed a few buttons, lowering the viewscreen and accepting the call.

Bill's face greeted him "Fox, this huge ugly Dreadnaught just appeared in my orbit, that wouldn't happen to be you would it?"

Falco scoffed "Ugly!? Have you looked at that planet you call home Gray?"

Bill laughed "Nice to see you too Falco."

Fox cleared his throat "You realize I can't let that ugly comment slide either. I'll have to charge you extra for that one, either that or give your pilots a real thrashing in the skies."

Bill pretended to think about it "I think I would actually prefer the later on that."

Fox grinned "Deal. Speaking of, where do you want us to meet up."

Bill turned serious "Actually, about that, I want to catch them by surprise. You remember that old base you helped us save during the Lylat wars?"

Fox nodded "Of course, is the base still operational?"

Bill shook his head "Nope, and its just far enough away from Whiskey base to give my pilots time to relax and lower their guards a bit."

Fox sat down in his chair. "So what, you want us to set up in the base?"

Bill grinned "Exactly, give em a little shock on a patrol. The way I've got it planned is that I'll tweak their ships to use training lasers while you guys do the same. They'll think its a real battle and I'll order them out as soon as their shields go down."

Fox glanced over at Falco with a grin "And if for some reason they knock out one of our shields?" Falco caught the glance and scoffed muttering "Fat chance." under his breath

Bill laughed at Falco "Well when they get back to base, I'll let them know they managed to best a Star Fox pilot and give them my approval to lead their own squad." Bill turned to a console off to his left and pressed a few buttons. "I've just sent commands to that old base to open its hanger, you guys get down there and I'll send the first patrol out in about an hour or so. As for actually attacking, I'll leave that up to you."

Fox nodded "Alright Bill, we'll send you a transmission when we got everything ready down there."

Bill saluted and closed the connection. Fox turned to face his pilots "Alright, lets head planet side."

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><p><em><strong>Bam, There you have it Fox and his team are going to go show Bill's pilots how to fly before heading to Macbeth, which should be nice and action packed with all sorts of cool things. I think. Ha ha. Anyway, this chapter is actually dedicated to<strong>__**XxSanitariumxX, he's shipping out in a few days to join the Navy if I'm not mistaken, and I wish him the best of luck with all of his training and eventual deployment. I have friends in the military and I just want to take this moment to thank all of my readers who are in the military or joining them. You have the courage that I could never have, and I thank you for your choice to help protect our country.**_

_**Thank you...all of you.**_

_**On a different note, my updates might slow down for a bit, got lots to do around here right now. But if I get lots of reviews, I'll make sure to make time to get this story updated.**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_

_**Peace,**_

_**-Emile**_


	6. First Flight

_**Alright, here we are again, another chapter, its a little shorter then my others but its got more action in it then talking so I hope that makes up for it. Without out further ado I present to you:**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Star Fox: <strong>_**The ReArmed Conflict**

_**Chapter 6: **_**First Flight**

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><p>"Typhon, You reading me?"<p>

The eagle jumped a little in his seat as the voice of his captain came over the radio. Typhon leaned forward and jabbed the comm button. "Yes Sir, Captain Gray." he replied with a quick salute as Bills face appeared on his holo display.

There was a pause and Bill eyed the eagle "You sound like you're tired pilot. I trust my patrol isn't boring you."

Typhon shook his head sharply "No sir, just not a lot of sleep last night."

Bill stared at Typhon for a moment "Right, well, I guess you should hit your bunk earlier tonight then. Gray out."

Typhon sighed as Bill's face faded off his HUD, only to be replaced by his wingmate. "You've got some nerve lying to the Captain like that."

Typhon studied the husky, she was colored with black and grey over her body with a curious white streak running across her eyes from the left to curve down over her muzzle on the right. She was wearing a standard flight suit just like Typhon was. After a moment he narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean Jen?"

Jen sighed "Oh come on, you were right when you spoke up a few days ago. The Captain isn't really pushing our skills. I've was watching you through your cockpit, you were almost ready to fall asleep before he called you."

Typhon adjusted his grip on his flight stick and stole a glance out to his left where Jen was flying. She glanced at him as well through the cockpit then spoke up. "I'm just saying, I was behind you."

Typhon glanced back at his comm board "Then how come you didn't say anything then?"

Jen glanced away staring out ahead at their first patrol point in the distance. "I...guess I didn't have your courage." She glanced back at Typhon "Sorry."

Typhon waved her apology away "It's not a big deal, after all we are doing something more now. Even if it is just flying out to an old outpost."

Jen nodded "Yea, think we should let the other two into our conversation now?"

Typhon nodded and pressed a few buttons, dropping the secure link that Jen had made earlier. "Roaj, Ross, you guys read us?"

Roaj and Ross, the twin Siamese felines that served as the last two wing-men for the patrol that Typhon was leading responded one right after the other. "Yea, we read you." Ross started "Loud and clear." Roaj finished from his twin.

Jen raised an eyebrow at them. "I hate it when you do that, its' creepy."

Roaj started chuckling softly. "That is exactly why." Ross started again "We do it only around you." Roaj finished amongst his chuckles while Jen scowled at them.

Typhon laughed as well before turning his gaze out ahead where the old pyarmid style base still sat in the distance. Typhon watched the base for a bit before he spoke up. "All joking aside, Jen, you have any idea why the Captain wants us to check out this particular base?"

Jen was silent for a moment as she accessed her data link to her computer. "All I can see" she started after a moment was that we revived intel that bandits had started using the old base to smuggle things past us." Jen glanced down focusing on her holoboard "Wait, there's more, this is the base that was attacked during the Lylat wars by Andross."

Typhon scoffed softly "Lots of Katina bases were attacked by Andross during the Lylat wars."

Jen glanced at him "But this one is still standing."

Typhon glanced out his cockpit window at her "So-" Typhon cut himself off as he realized what Jen meant "Oh. So this is the base that Star Fox helped defend?"

Jen nodded "Yea, and it was the defense of this base that was one of the points of the Captains promotion."

Typhon looked out at the base "I suppose I would get kinda protective of it too then."

Jen was silent for a moment "I wonder if any of the wreckage is still here..."

Typhon turned his focus back to his controls "What wreckage?"

Jen glanced around before answering "Well Star Fox trashed a pretty big ship, I wonder if it any of it is still around to be salva-"

Ross interrupted her "Heads up, we've got contact, inbound from the base."

Typhon glanced at his scanners "I don't see anything."

Roaj wiggled his wings a little "Don't always trust your instruments lead, visual contact."

Typhon cursed softly under his breath as he raised his view to see a flight of four odd fighters lifting off out of the old base. "Well Jen ,looks like intel was right for once. Lets see if their willing to leave peacefully."

Typhon flicked a few switches as they drew closer to the base, the Arwings that the Captain had sent him in had been an odd choice at first, but now made sense if they were going to be fighting in a small area. Their heightened maneuverability would be an advantage for Typhoon and his flight. "Everybody, set your systems for all range mode, lets try and keep them in this area."

Typhon glanced out as he watched his wings chance and he saw Jens fighter doing the same. She suddenly pulled back a little bit to take her proper place behind him. "Got your back lead." Jen winked at him out of the communications display "You know, just in case."

Typhon scoffed again "Yea right, lets try this by the book first, Ross, you got any reply on comms yet?"

Ross shook his head "No sir, but I see weapons charging on their ships."

Typhon focused his vision on the ships to see the tell tell glow of green sitting on the tips of the unknown fighters blasters. Typhon blinked and focused on one that was to the right of the lead ship, the blasters were glowing purple with stored energy. "Heads up, if they turn hostile, watch that fighter on the right, those blasters look different, never seen one glowing purple."

Jen answered "Acknowledge Lead, assigning contact to the warning zone."

Typhon glanced down at his comms board and pressed the all frequencies button "Well, let's see if their smart." he said softly under his breath. "Attention Unidentified units, you are in Katina Military airspace with charged weapons. Power down and land at once so we can settle this peacefully."

Inside the team fighters Fox watched as Falco cracked his neck as they approached the Katina patrol. "Hey Fox, you sure these are the right guys?"

"_Attention Unidentified units, you are in Katina Military airspace with charged weapons. Power down and land at once so we can settle this peacefully."_

Krystal spoke up from her position on Fox's left wing left "That answer your question Falco?"

Falco shrugged "Hey never hurts to be sure were stomping the right fighters, wouldn't want to embarrass some group of kids flying out here for kicks."

Slippy spoke up "Right, kids flying the new prototype Mark IV Arwings. Cause every family on Katina can afford those."

Falco scowled at Slippy "Can it Toad." Slippy returned Falco's tone with a grin at having gotten to the bird.

Fox shook his head "Alright, lets focus, Krystal, Slippy hang back for a bit, Falo and I will run at the lead and his back up to try and scatter them, then you guys fall in and focus on the side flights.

Krystal nodded and dropped power in her G-Diffuser "Roger Fox."

Fox glanced down at his Comm board where the eagle was repeating his message "Shall we give him an answer Falco?"

Falco grinned and tightened his grip on his joysticks, his thumbs resting softly on the triggers "Please let me open fire first."

Fox grinned as he adjusted his own grip "Be my guest."

Back in his cockpit Typhon watched the flight get closer, still repeating his message. Just was he heard Jen speak up that they were in combat range Typhon let out a startled curse as a bolt of green energy bounced off his shields. "Damn it, they won't listen, break and engage, I repeat, break and engage, Form Alpha."

Typhon keyed his thrusts as did Jen behind him who took a place on his right side and settled there while the twins slowed down then activated a longer boost to pass Typhon and Jen to take the lead on the attack. The twins turned their ships on the sides and flew with their bellies close to each other, opening fire on the enemy formation, which broke apart as the twins ships blasted through the center of them. The right ship with the purple lasers and the one that had been following their leader broke off and chased after the twins while the two ships that remained reformed, mirroring the formation that Jen and Typhon were using.

Typhon snapped into a barrel roll as one of the ships opened fire on him "Well, looks like we get our own dog fight."

Jens face appeared as she boosted past him and focused fir eon the right most fighter "I call the one with four wings!"

Typhon centered his cross hairs on the normal looking Arwing in front of him "Guess their leaders mine then."

The two ships boosted towards each other, their weapons flashing out to lance at each others shields. As the fighters closed Typhon narrowed his eyes at the strength of his opponents shields. A normal Arwing would have lost its shields by now. He glanced down at his own shields to see them sitting at 83%. After the pounding that had dished out to each other his ship should have been blasted apart by now. There were only two explanations, either both of their lasers were weaker then normal or the fighter had put so much energy into his shields that his weapons weren't that effective against normal ships.

As the fighters blasted by each other, Typhon pulled hard on his stick while spinning his ship around in the S-maneuver to try and get the drop on his opponent. Only to find that the other ship had completed a much faster version of the same maneuver and was already pouring more fire onto his shields. Typhon cussed again and barrel rolled off to the side to try and escape his opponents fire lane. The enemy ship cut his fire for a moment but only to boost past Typhon and settle down into the kill lane behind Typhons ship.

Typhon grunted and tired to shake him but to no avail, he trigger his comm "Hey Jen, want to swatch dance partners? Mines getting a little too clingy for my taste."

Jen growled under her breath as she pushed her Arwings G-Diffuser to its limits to try and keep up with the acrobats that this four winged fighter was pulling. The fighter could pull turns that her Arwing could only manage in the vacuum of space while in the atmosphere like they were nothing, something about his wings allowed him to pull the moves. The weird thing was so far he hadn't fired a single shot, it was almost like the pilot was testing her. Jen herself had managed to land a few blows on his shields but so far the fighter appeared unaffected.

As Jen lined up another shot and scored a few more hits she noticed the tips of the wings suddenly glowing, before she could even think about what four lasers flashed out and splashed across her shields.

"What the hell?" Jen exclaimed to no one "How did he shoot behind him?"

Now suddenly Jen found herself in a desperate fight as she struggle to avoid all the lasers that were flying from the ship she was chasing. Her only shining hope was that even though she was getting hit by a lot of lasers they seemed extremely weak and her shields had only dropped to 67% after five minutes of absorbing hits. Still she couldn't afford to do this for long, she kept pouring fire into the enemies shields, hoping to break them before he broke hers, but so far no success. So when Typhon's voice came over the comm net asking for a swap she was all to eager.

She quickly engaged her brakes and pulled a hard on her control stick, sending her Arwing screaming up into the air. Before the ship she had been attempting to chase could turn around she spun her ship and faced it towards where Typhon was, flicking her booster switch to max and blasting away from her enemy.

Typhon was headed her way and as she passed above him she threw the Arwing into a loop and blasted straight towards the ground. Her lasers splashing over the enemy that was chasing Typhon. She blasted down right in front of him, causing the fighter to dodge out of the way before looping down to follow her as she pulled her Arwing out of its dive and sending it skimming along the ground.

Jen waited a moment and wasn't disappointed to feel her ship shake slightly as her new enemy sprayed fire into her rear shields. Jen waited for a break in the fire before shunting power way from her shields and back into the G-Diffuser, while pulling hard on the stick and toggling her braking system as well. The result causing her Fighter to come to a complete stop almost instantly, her enemy blasting past her.

Quickly redividing her G-Diffuser output she chased after her new prey, sending as much fire into his shields as she could manage as he jinked and rolled, his ship creating the typical deflection shield that the Arwings were known for. She kept this up for several seconds before she heard a call that broke her focus.

"Roaj, pull out, now!" Bill's voice suddenly echoed across the comm board.

"I can handle it!" was the reply, Jen glanced down at her HUD surprised to see Roaj's image flashing red as the computer alerted her to his complete loss of shields.

Typhon spoke up next, his voice strained as he struggled to land hits on his enemy while avoid the return fire. "Roaj, pull out now, I don't want to lose anybody today."

There was silence for a moment before Jen turned her gaze to her combat scanner to see the symbol for Roaj's ship pull off and blast away from their combat zone. Roaj said one thing as he pulled away "Ross watch out the ship that took down my shields is on your trail now as well, those purple lasers hurt."

"Right Brother, I'll watch for it."

Jen turned her attention back to her own fighter about to take revenge for the sudden loss of her team mate from the fight when the Arwings boosters flared slightly and the ship aimed towards the ground. Just as Jen thought the ship was going to plow into the ground, there was a flash from underneath and the ship flashed into the air, flipping twice through the air.

Jen watched as time seemed to slow down, she followed the trail of the ship as it arced over her own craft, when it was directly above it let loose with a charge shot that drained her shields to a critical 14% The fighter continued its flip before coming to a rest directly in her kill box and taking out the rest of her shields in a flurry of hits.

As the red alerts started wailing through her cockpit she didn't even wait for Bill to yell at her. She just opened her comm unit "Sorry guys, you're on your own, my shields just broke and since these guys aren't to keen to chase us, I'm pulling out. Good luck"

Jen snapped her fighter into a barrel roll and pulled sharply up on the stick sending it back into the air, she keyed her boost again and headed back for Whiskey base. Intent on getting her shielding system recharged, and heavy weaponry loaded as soon as possible and coming back out to finish these guys off with some serious firepower.

She tipped her ship on its side and glanced down to see Ross's shields flash out of existence and the two fighters that were chasing him pull off as he copied her maneuver to leave the combat zone. Jen shook her head sadly as she leveled out her fighter and cooled down her boost.

She wasn't even halfway back to Whiskey base when she heard Bill's voice again. "Typhon, pull out Now! That's an order! Your shields are gone and your right wing flaps have been melted in place! Get out while you can!"

Jen clenched her jaw for a moment while there was silence before a very subdued Typhon answered with "Yes sir, pulling out now." There was another pause before he spoke up again. "Captain, please meet my team and I in the hanger bay when we get back, I need some advice for dealing with this."

Bill answered curtly "Acknowledged Lead, I'll be waiting for you to get back."

"Thank you sir, First Flight out."

Typhon's face disappeared as he cut completely out of their comm network to stew to by himself and to think over their fight that they just left.

Jen closed her own link and focused on flying back to the base, after a few minutes though she opened the comm link again and spoke up. "Anybody else think its odd that those fighters didn't chase us?" She waited a beat to see if anybody responded, when they didn't she forged on "I mean, come on, they had us, easily, they could have downed us even with those weak weapons and-"

she cut off as Typhons voice sounded softly "Can it Jen." his tone was subdued but layered with enough force that Jen just nodded to herself. "Yes sir." was all she said before she cut the link again. Privatly though, Jen spent the rest of the flight deep in thought, eventually slipping the Arwing to autopilot so she could sit back and relax, aside from the chaotic path her mind was on of course.

The more she thought about it, the more that fight didn't just add up. First there was the Captain alerting their planned flight path too include that base. Sure he had received that Intel report, but something still smelled off about it. Then there was the weird design of the fighters themselves coupled with the fact that they had some impressively strong shields. Going through the footage captured by the Arwings battle camera and scans, only one ship had the proper mass to support a shielding system of the intensity. Then for some added weird the enemies weapons were sub par as well, as far as she knew, none of their shields had been modified in anyway, and only on of the enemies had managed to bring down their shields in a short amount of time. So either somebody was working on some really prototype tech for star fighters or there was something just off about the whole mission.

That thought kept chasing itself around in Jens head until it was the only thing that could make sense. She thought about voicing her concerns again to her team mates but decided against it, figuring she would just corner Typhon later where he couldn't ignore her and force him to pay attention to her. Jen focused on this one thought and the flight to Whiskey seemed to fly by. It stayed that way up until she landed, then she sat in her cockpit and timed seemed to drag on as she waited for Typhon to land as well.

When his fighter eventually cruised into the hanger and settled down across from her Jen quickly popped her canopy and and swung her legs over the side of her cockpit, letting her legs hang down before dropping to the floor. Ignoring the tech who had rushed up to the side of her fighter with a step ladder. Jen strode over to Typhon's fighter, pulling off her helmet and letting her brown hair flop out behind her, shaking gently as she worked her way quickly along the hanger towards Typhon and his Arwing.

She reached it and came to a stop next to the tech that was waiting next to the fighter with another rolling step ladder. As Jen walked up and crossed her arms, she saw Roaj and Ross glance at each other as they sat on the side of their fighters. She glanced to her right as the tech next to her spoke up. "So is he going to come out?"

Jen glanced around the hanger noticing the lack of Captain Bill. She turned her gaze back up towards Typhon's cockpit "I think hes waiting for the Captain."

The tech nodded "Ah, is he going to drop out of the fighter like you did for my partner?"

Jen said nothing just continued to watch and wait for Typhon. She heard a whisk of doors behind her and didn't even bother to turn around as Typhon's cockpit suddenly opened and the Tech brought the ladder up to the side so he could climb out. Typhon touched down next to her and turned around "Shut up and follow me." he said not even sparing Jen a glance as he walked past her towards the Captain at a brisk pace.

Jen slightly confused followed slightly behind, she caught up to the pair just in time to hear Typhon saying softly "-t up _Captain._" The way Typhon drilled venom and hate into Bills title had Jen wanting to cover her mouth. Sure Typhon had always been more outspoken then most but to act like that with his commanding officer, that was just asking for trouble. Typhon was glaring at Bill, hate clear in his eyes as he stood closer then he should be.

Bill raised an eyearch before calmly taking a step back from Typhon and clearing his voice. When he spoke though there was a untapped amount of force hidden in that told Jen that all Bill wanted to do was order Typhon to the brig. "If you don't like the way I run this base CorporalTyphon then you can just put in your resignation with the Cornerian Army and I'll give that my seal of approval so fast the paper will run risk of catching fire." Bill paused a beat "Or if you would rather remember your training and keep a cool head and not over react to a training mission, one that you have passed with flying colors up until this moment. You can rein in that temper and march yourself to your barracks cool down with a cold shower and then gather your team in my office in forty minutes." Bill turned away and marched back towards the door, he turned around and said one last thing "Oh and Corporal, if none of your team is there in forty minutes, I will consider it as your resignation from the Cornerian Army." He glanced at Jen "All of you." Then he turned back around and marched right through the doors and into the hallway.

Jen felt her eyes go wide and she moved quickly back across the hanger to where Ross and Roaj were just jumping down off of their fighters. Before they could open their mouths Jen shook her head "Later, go to the showers and clean up, then put on your dress uniform and be inside Bills office in the next forty minutes if you don't want to be kicked out of the army." Jen left the twins staring at each other for a second before they rushed to catch up with her as they followed her towards their barracks, Typhon trudging along behind them a scowl still evident on his beak.

Forty minutes later found Jen Ross and Roaj, all dressed up in their formal uniforms, standing at attention across from Bills desk while Typhon stood in front of the three of them ,dressed in the same way, but only standing up straight, watching as Bill paced in front of him.

After a few minutes Bill stopped pacing and leaned back on his desk "Now, Corporal Typhon here has made it rather clear he doesn't like my leadership. What I want to know is if any of you feel the same way."

Jen stepped forward "I can't speak for the twins sir, but I usually stand behind Typhon, and I feel like we're missing something from all of this."

Bill nodded at her and she stepped back, the bulldog turned his gaze ot Typhon and pointedly said "Now there is somebody who knows how to control themselves, maybe I'll make her the new Corporal after you leave."

Typhon said nothing but his fist clenched tightly "I think my team and I are owed at least an explanation about why you sent us into a trap."

Bill shook his head "It wasn't a trap Corporal, it was a training exercise, and one that your flight performed greatly on. Like I mentioned earlier, in fact you were rated as one of the top opponents by the instructors." Bill reached behind him and grabbed a data-pad glancing down at the screen and reading what was there. " 'First Flight has obviously earned its First title, out of all of your flights that we have fought against, these guys put up the most fight and landed the most hits.' " Bill stopped reading and glanced u before continuing " 'In the end, although my team still emerged on top, only one of my pilots reported a shield strength of above 45%. The one that didn't also had massively reinforced shields as well, but otherwise he claims that he would have had less if not for those.' "

Bill set the data-pad back down next to him on the desk and glanced at Typhon. "Well? Any thoughts you would like to add Corporal?"

Typhon said nothing for a moment before he suddenly snapped into attention, his wing flying up to his forehead. "AllI can ask sir is that you grant this hot headed and temperamental solider forgiveness for my childish and embarrassing actions. If you require my Resignation I will gladly give it and leave to pursue a different career path. If not I would be honor to stay and remain a part of Whiskey squad."

Bill nodded and before he opened his mouth Jen stepped forward "Sir I would just like to say that I trust Typhon and if you force him out of the army I will hand in my resignation as well." Ross and Roaj stepped up and copied her statement.

Bill nodded and glanced back at Typhon "Well you got a loyal flight at least, and your resignation isn't needed, but you will be on bathroom duty for the next five months Corporal, at least. That and some government mandated temper programs too perhaps."

Bill pushed off his desk as a knock sounded on his door. He walked over and pressed the open button and letting four people walk in. Jen felt her jaw drop slightly as she realized that all four people wore flght vests with the Star Fox logo stitched into the back. She noticed the Bill greeted the them all by name and stopped to shake the hands of the last two that entered. The pilots filed around Bills desk and stood up leaning causally against the wall, studying the four military pilots across from them. Bill followed them and sat down in the chair behind his desk. He crossed his arms and waited.

Typhon nodded and spoke up "Permission to speak?"

Bill nodded "Granted."

Before Typhon could speak his gaze was drawn to the avian pilot of Star Fox as he nudged the orange fox next to him "Remember when we had to do that?"

The fox nodded "Yep, you always got in trouble for not doing it."

Typhon glanced back at Bill as he shook his head with a grin on his face. "Sir, what is Star Fox doing in your office?"

Bill grinned at Typhon and leaned back in his chair slightly gesturing to the Star Fox pilots "First Flight, meet your temporary combat instructors."

The avian snorted "This is first flight? I expected big ol bulldogs or something. We must be getting old Foxie, none of these pilots look like they can even lift a twenty pound weight."

Fox shook his head "Falco, play nice." The blue fox next to him giggled softly while the toad just shook his head.

Typhon glanced behind him at Jen before turning back to Bill "Sir, are you saying we fought Star Fox?"

Bill nodded and Falco spoke up "Yea, that's right, you guys got your tails kicked by the most famous pilots in Lylat, how does that make you feel?"

Fox shook his head again "Falco...I'll have Krystal escort you back to the ship."

Falco raised his arms in surrender "Alright alright, I'll play nice with the other kids."

Krystal giggled again and spoke up "I actually thought they did rather well, the twins even more so, they held out against me and Slippy for an impressive amount of time."

Slippy nodded "Yep, Impressive."

Fox stepped forward and held out hand "Fox McCloud, glad to meet Bills finest flight in person." Fox jerked a thumb over his shoulder "The grumpy old Bird is Falco, My Fiance Krystal is the fox next to me and our Mechanic Slippy is the toad."

Typhon shook Fox's hand, shock still evident on his face "The honor is mine to shake the hand of the pilot who regularly saves Lylat."

Fox shrugged "Yea, maybe they'll start paying me for it now."

Bill snorted "Fox, we're still paying for it, I've got to see your ugly mug everywhere on the news remember?"

Falco spoke up " That's only punishment for you Billy boy."

Bill shook his head "So anyway, on a more serious note, I've been sending out patrols over the past two days to that old base to test them against Star Fox, and so far your flight is the only one that got a good review from Fox here."

Fox nodded in confirmation "We had to push our fighters to their limits to get behind you guys sometimes. If any enemies ever come back to Katina, they'll have you to deal with, and I don't see them surviving the encounter unless they are as good as us."

Bill glanced back at his pilots "That's high praise indeed. Fox doesn't even trust me to keep my own planet safe."

Typhon met eyes with Bill "Sir if its okay with Star Fox, I would like to have a rematch, a full one, full powered lasers in our home turf."

Fox shook his head "Sorry kid, We're on a tight schedule, we just stopped in for a few days." Fox paused "But when we get our current plans wrapped up, if I've got time and the teams up for it, you've got a deal." Fox held out his hand and Typhon shook it. Fox glanced at Bill "Maybe should have cleared that with Bill first though."

Bill rested his head in his palms "Oh pay no mind to the Captain of this base. I'm fine with it."

Fox nodded "Good." He pushed up off the wall and held his hand out to Krystal. "Well until next time." Before they could leave Bill raised a hand "Hey one second Fox." he turned to his pilots "First Flight, your dismissed and Typhon you can start cleaning the bathroom as soon as you get back to the barracks." Typhon nodded and saluted "Yes sir." The four pilots marched out of Bills office and Bill waited until the door closed behind them before he reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a data-pad handing it to Fox.

"What's this?" Fox asked as he took the pad in his hand and glanced down at it

Bill stared at him "When I heard you were going to Macbeth I did some checking through the current scout reports. There appear to be some strange things going on over there, and I bet you guys are heading into the thick of it. I copied all the notes onto that and even highlighted some bits I thought odd."

Fox glanced through the contents real quick before tucking it into his Flight vest " 'Preciate it Bill."

Bill stood up and shook Fox's hand one more time. "I don't know whats going on that has you burning a trail to Macbeth, but I wish you the best of luck."

Fox nodded "Whatever happens, best of luck to you as well." Fox gestured to his team "Lets go guys, Macbeth is waiting for us."

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><p><em><strong>Okay, I know it was kinda short, but hey better then nothing right? For those of you wondering why I'm putting detail into first flight and everything, well they play a larger part later, I won't tell you how far away it is cause I don't even know, but they will return. Also the next chapter will be quite a bit longer when I get it done, I'll be wrapping up everything on Macbeth while also bringing in some more characters and exposing secrets too! Oh my!<br>**_

_**Okay, and I've got one last thing for ya all, I won't update again until a get a couple of reviews. I just don't feel like I'm doing a good job if I don't get any reviews, even if its so much as good chapter.**_

_**EDIT-1/13/2012: Okay, got some reviews, didn't really expect as many as I got, so starting work right now. Also anybody notice that I had this chapter titled as 5 instead of 6 before I fixed it ha ha.**_

_**EDIT-2-5-2012: Right-O, anybody curious about how come its been so damn long since an update? well simple, its a going to one big damn chapter. I'm covering EVERYTHING with the Macbeth bit in one chapter. If you want to know where I am so far, you can check out my facebook authors page. there is a link on my profile. Or you can just wait, I'm aiming for two weeks, but we'll see.**_

_**EDIT-2-15-2012: Kay, lets see who's paying attention. I'm having some doubts about a small bit in the next chapter and I'm looking for some feedback, So I want three people to PM and tell me they are up for a beta read to see if anything jumps out as wrong. Okay? I'm waiting. :)  
><strong>_

_**Peace,**_

_**-Emile**_


	7. MacbethBreak and Enter

_**Well Hello there Reader of fan fiction! Have I got a deal for you, an incredible deal of stupendous value. You ready for this Reader? Okay here it goes, I have for you, today only, twenty-one pages of The ReArmed conflict for you to read, that's right, twenty-one! 'Surly there must be some catch' I can hear you thinking, well there is none, all this reading can be yours if you just click that review button at the bottom, how bout it Reader, we got a deal?**_

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><p><em><strong>Star Fox: <strong>_**The ReArmed Conflict**

_**Chapter 7: **_**Macbeth-Break and Enter**

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><p>-|- Two Days Later -|- Great Fox II -|- Briefing Room -|-<p>

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><p>While the old Great Fox had lacked a briefing room, unless one counted the kitchen area. Fox had decided to include a proper briefing room into the designs of the Great Fox II. Aside this from the fact that this was the first time it was being used by the team the room was in remarkable good condition. The room was just shy of being large and most of the space was dominated by the oval table that people were to sit at. Even though the the usual team only consisted of four this table could easily sit fifteen comfortably. The two walls were plane but the far wall from the door was made up mainly by a large display for whatever information needed to be shown.<p>

Fox and Krystal walked into the briefing room to find the other two members of their team already sitting at the table. Fay was standing off to the side staring intently at the wall. Krystal noticing her intense stare decided to spend a brief moment focusing on the spaniels mind. She was disappointed however to run into the same block that was always there. Krystal couldn't help but wonder who taught her how to organize her thoughts into that whirling barrier of chaotic sound and thought. She noticed that the three engineers that stayed behind on the Great Fox were also present, sitting across from the pilots on the other side of the table, Slippy and Falco were sitting next to each other and watching Fox.

Krystal focused her mind back on their mission and took a seat next to Slippy while Fox went to the front of the room and plugged a data-pad into the display. He dimmed the lights slightly to make the screen easier to read and Fay snapped out of her revive and walked over taking a seat at the far end of the table near the door. Fox raised an eyebrow at her choice of seating before calling up some information on the data pad.

Falco who was as usual forcing the chair as far back as possible so that he could put his feet on the table, decided to interrupt Fox before he could start. "Hey Fox, why are we in here today, we usually just do this on the bridge."

Fox sighed "Because, there is more then just the four of us right now, and considering that we may be investigating a hostile planet, I want everybody to know whats going on." Fox paused, a smile crossing his face. Falco eyed him suspiciously. "What?"

Fox let a full grin cross his muzzle. "Well, I was just thinking it was about time that you learned how to read so that I wouldn't have to do it for you."

Falco narrowed his eyes while Slippy and Krystal laughed. Falco scoffed and turned his head to the side "Yea, we'll see who's laughing down on Macbeth."

Fay regarded them for a moment before speaking up "Can we start this already? I'm anxious to find Miyu."

Fox nodded "Alright, well, before we left Katina, Bill did us a favor by gather all of the scouting reports that he had access to concerning Macbeth." Fox held up the data-pad that Bill had given him "I spent most of the past two days going through the notes, and what I've read has me worried. Which is one reason I wanted everybody on the ship to hear this."

Danielle raised a hand "What exactly are we here for? I get that this could be dangerous, but it's not like we're going planet side with you. Right?"

Fox shook his head "No of course not, I haven't flown or fought with any of you before, I have no idea what combat skills you have. Aside from the basic training that all of the Army undertakes."

Danielle sighed slightly "Good."

Fox continued "No, I'm entrusting the Great Fox II to your care, to make sure its ready to get us out of there if needs be, and just in case it comes under attack."

Danielle straightened in her chair "What!" She looked to her teammates "You

.can't do that! We have no combat experience on a Dreadnaught!"

Fox focused on her "Sorry, but you can and you will, you chose to stay behind on the Great Fox, that means that you have to help us from time to time. I need everybody on the ground or in the air, and since we didn't have time to swing past Corneria and grab Peppy, you guys are to help ROB if anything comes up." Fox paused "Clear?"

Danielle nodded slightly cowed "Yes sir."

Fox nodded "Good, and thank you for helping us out on this."

Slippy spoke up "Hey Fox, why do you need all of us out, it can't be that bad."

Fox didn't say anything, instead he reached down and opened a file on the data-pad, a wave bar appeared on the screen and static started playing. A few seconds later a voice sounded out of the speakers

"...Report..." a pause and more static "Scout Flight 4, you are ordered to return to base and report." Suddenly the static flared in loudness and intesntiy and a panicked voice blared out, while sometimes being lost amidst waves of static "-erywhere! Ho-et here?-opy, repea-do you cop-assive-my force-attac-coordi-4.58-en-repeat se-up-Niner! Your six-Niner!-own-casualty-Niner is gon-Captain! Behind yo-Shit! Arrgghh-" The static cut own and the voice from before returned, subdued. "Send a report to command that Scout Flight 4 has gone missing, most likely KIA. We're rounding up forces to send after them."

Fox closed the wave meters window and glanced out at his friends and extended crew. Krystal spoke up first, lowering her paw from her muzzle "What, what attacked them?"

Fox shrugged his shoulders "At best guess, the same guys that attacked us on Fortuna."

Falco stared at the screen behind Fox "It's not mentioned in the report?"

Fox tapped on the data-pad again, bringing another window to the front, he gestured to it as he spoke. "Best thing that Bill got was that the Macbeth base only sent out one more flight after them, a full combat flight of sixteen fighters. They flew towards the last point that the scout team was known to be at. About ten minutes in, their combat ID's vanished from radar and they couldn't raise any of the pilots. After ten hours the flight was considered KIA as well and they sent another report to Army HQ." Fox paused and glanced around the room "That was almost two weeks ago."

Krystal blinked and spoke up "What is the Army doing now?"

Fox brought up a local net report "Officially, Macbeth is experiencing random power outages and surges of criminal activity and the Army is warning loyal citizens of the planet to stay inside and lock their doors." Fox tapped on the screen again and closed the local report, bringing up an official looking military order.

The words "Top Secret" were printed across in big red letters with slashing bars surrounding them. There were not many words on the report so it was easy for everybody to read.

-_Top Secret-_

_Evidence has come to light that leads Intelligence to believe that Macbeth is going to be the next target of these Remnant Terrorists. We lost a scout force in the abandoned mining area, the attack force that was sent out is also recorded as KIA. All inbound civilian traffic is to be re routed to Aquas. Military is only allowed with clearance from command. No flights are allowed to enter the atmosphere on Macbeth over the mining area unless directly ordered to, and a cordon has been set up on the ground to prevent entry that way._

After everybody read the report Fox closed it and turned to Falco who spoke up "So, if Macbeth is cordoned off, how are we supposed to make it planet side?"

Fox turned to look at Fay "That's where you come in."

Fay looked confused, "How can I help?"

Fox just called up a picture of Macbeth with the routes of the military blockade plotted out. "You worked undercover. So you should know how the Remnant is getting supplies. Because there are no supplies to be had in the mining area and they cant get them from the planet. So they must be getting them shipped in somehow."

Fay studied the map while Krystal looked thoughtful. "Surely there are supplies stores in that mining area. Why don't they just use those."

Fox shook his head "They can't"

Krystal turned to look at Fox "Why?"

Falco laughed "Because, they'll die," before Krystal could ask Falco continued jerking a thumb at Fox. "Foxie here took out one of Andross's old officers by rerouting his supply train into a depot full explosives. Turns out, Andross had stocked the place full of experimental chemicals, made the crater and the surrounding five hundred miles uninhabitable."

Fox shook his head "In my defense nobody knew about those chemicals until after the war was over and people started dieing."

Falco chuckled again "Doesn't stop the people of Macbeth from hating our guts. Most of them would turn us over to any of Andross's old army."

Krystal sat back in her chair "Oh my, so they need to be getting supplies in then." Krystal turned to Fay, as did everybody else. Fay was focused on the map that Fox had left up and she got out of her seat to walk around the table. Eventually she placed her finger on a point of the map "Here."

Fox enlarged the section of the map and Falco snorted "Are you crazy sister? That's right where two of the largest patrols meet." Falco looked at Fox "She's crazy right, tell me shes crazy."

Fay glared at Falco "No, the best place to get by your enemy is behind them, so you wait until these two flights or ships or whatever cross paths. Then you hijack an army transponder and just fly straight through, they'll think is just a straggler ship and dismiss it."

Falco raised his arms in the air "Shes trying to kill us all." He said as he turned to Fox to see him staring at the map and rubbing his muzzle thoughtfully. Falco paled "Oh no, you're not."

Fox glanced over his shoulder at Slippy "Hey we still have the codes from the Aparoid war that identifies us as Army right?"

Slippy nodded "Yea, The Great Fox wouldn't work of course, but the Arwings should be able to slip through."

Falco's beak dropped and he stood up. "Okay, am I the only sane on here? According to those reports, you guys want to sneak past two heavily armed cruisers. _Cruisers_. They have cannons bigger then our Arwings."

Fox glanced at Falco "Come on, when have you ever chickened out from a challenge?"

Falco glared at him "That's not a challenge, that's suicide, when did I become the voice of reason?"

Krystal laughed and leaned back in her chair "You know hes got a point Falco, I suppose if you really don't want to, you can just stay behind and fly guard around the Great Fox."

Falco blinked then he snorted again "As if, nice try Krystal," he turned his gaze to Fox "I need to go along to keep you guys safe on the ground and help keep you guys in one piece while those cruisers try to blow us apart."

Fox grinned at Krystal then turned his smile to Falco "I knew you would see reason Falco."

Falco turned his head "Yea whatever, I'll be careful and still beat you down to the surface."

Fox shook his head "Now that we have that out of the way, the ground team will consist of Falco, Fay and myself."

Krystal glanced up at Fox "I'm not coming?"

Fox shook his head "Not really, all the pilots are coming down, its just that I want to have you and Slippy in the air, giving us cover."

Falco grinned at Slippy as he sat down again, "Not to mention she'll be there to pull Slip's butt out of the fire when he gets in trouble."

Slippy didn't even turn "Can it Falco."

Krystal nodded "Fair enough, what are you guys going to be doing while me and Slippy are flying cover."

Fox turned to Fay. "Well, that depends on you, I can't plan for anything with out knowing where were going."

Fay nodded "Well, there is another reason that I chose this are to sneak by." Fay moved up to the map and looked at Fox "Ground view of Macbeth please, right above the entry area."

Fox nodded and adjusted the map to the appropriate area. Fox immediately noticed that the crater from the Forever Train explosion was visible on the map. He glanced at Fay "You want us to come down right into the infected area, nothing on the Arwing would work right. Plus we can't even stay exposed for too long."

Fay nodded "Exactly, that's why the Remnants built a base right underneath the crater," she raised her arm and pointed at a hill that was about a mile out from the edge of the crater "and put an entrance right inside this hill. A hidden hanger bay."

Fox walked up and stood beside her "Okay, lets say there is a base there and that we can get in through a hanger. I doubt they leave the door open."

Fay grinned "Of course not, but I know for a fact how this base operates. They wait until somebody passes the hanger and then exit the hanger behind them. The effects of the chemicals rendering them invisible until its too late. That's how they always win their fights, coming up behind their targets with out them realize it and blasting them to pieces before they even know what hit them."

Falco leaned back in his chair again "So what, do we knock with a Nova Bomb or something?"

Fay shook her head "Not quite, we'll do a fly by and wait from them to send out their ships, should be one for each of us. We dog fight with them for a bit, luring them over towards the base. When we thin their numbers out, the base will launch more fighters as support and then the three of us can dart in and land." Fay glanced at them "Only thing is, I'm not so sure about getting out."

Falco snorted again "I knew something was up."

Fox glanced at his friend before facing Fay "What do you mean?"

Fay turned her gaze back to the map "Well, once they realize we're in the base, they'll put it under a full lock down. Which mean we'll have to disable the energy field generators before we could leave."

Slippy looked puzzled "What do you mean, an energy field wouldn't stop you from getting out. You would just have to hit the doors with a few Nova Bombs while you were on the far side."

Fay shook her head "Wouldn't work, there is another reason we need to fly in. When the doors are closed the energy fields are super charged through a series of three generator sets. A cruiser blast wouldn't be able to phase them out."

Falco whistled "That's a lot of energy to phase off for just one hanger."

Fay nodded "Excessive, but this base is quite large and complex, and since most of it is carved out of the natural tunnels that line this area. They protected them with enhanced fields."

Fox held up a paw "Wait how big is this base? I mean anything bigger then a mile would require a large generator set up to shield it."

Fay pointed at the middle of the crater "From one end there, to about a mile past our entry point."

Slippy looked doubtful "That's pretty big, there is no way the whole base is protected. You would need almost half a mile of generators alone, then their power out put would be huge, there is no way you could hide them."

Fay glanced at Slippy "I know, and that's why they chose this spot, the irradiated earth shields their power leak, nobody has a sensor powerful enough to filter out the interference." She turned her gaze back to the map "And its almost a full mile of generators, they cover the stretch from this hanger to the main base at the edge of the crater."

There was silence in the room as everybody took that in. Fay caught on to it and turned to face them "What?"

Fox glanced back at his team "Well, that's a pretty serious under taking, just how big are these Remnants?"

Fay shrugged "I don't know, each sector is kept separate, I wouldn't know anybody from another planet if I met them in the streets." Fay glanced back at the Macbeth map "But, from the size of this base, there could easily be millions, and nobody really knows about them."

Falco cocked his head "What about the Terrorist attacks?"

Fay waved a hand "Distractions, they know that since they failed to kill you before that the team would report to the government. So the Remnants are giving them somebody to fight, it just not who they think they are. If we can't stop them, when the Remnants show their true force, the Cornerian Army will be swatted aside like a fly."

Silence ensued again and Fay turned back to them.

"Why us Fay?"

Fay turned to face Fox at her side "What do you mean?"

Fox was staring at the table and that data-pad. "This threat is huge, why bring it to a mercenary troop, why not go report back to Corneria and warn them?"

Fay was silent for a moment "If Corneria tried to make a move with its united army, the reach that the Remnants have would render them fractured and scattered, too many high ranking people have been corrupted, too many chains have been formed and their links are weak. I've seen you guys face an entire armada with just _four_ ships, and just plow through their lines like they are not even there. The separate pilots here have a combined kill count that most planets can't match." Fay turned back to the room "In short, you guys are the only people I think can handle this. You've faced Andross more times then you should have had to, you took down the Aparoids and you survived missions no team has a right surviving." Fay turned back to Fox "If you guys can't do anything, the Lylat system is doomed."

Fox raised his head "If what Fay says is true, the stakes are just as high as ever before. IF we do this, we'll make ourselves a target of this spanning corruption."

Falco closed his eyes and shrugged "Wouldn't be the first time we've had an army target us. I'm cool."

Slippy nodded "With ya Fox."

Krystal smiled "Where you go I go."

The engineers looked at each other "Hey we can leave at any time right?" Danielle asked

Fox looked up at her "Of course, I just ask that you wait until after Macbeth, then I will see you off at any planet or station you want."

Krystal spoke up "Fox, what exactly are we doing on Macbeth again?"

Fox looked at Fay, who paused before she spoke, "What were doing...is rescuing Fara Phoenix and Miyu."

Fox turned to regarded her "I thought we were meeting up with Miyu."

Fay reached underneath her vest and pulled out her own data-pad, on its screen was the note she got from Miyu. "So did I, until I finished decoding the rest of her message."

Falco stared at the screen for a moment "Hey sister, that may make sense to you, but to us its all alien. Care to explain?"

Fay nodded "I got this note shortly before the Remnants attacked you on Fortuna. Since I had to go and attack you guys, I only read the first part, which said she needed help getting out. The note goes on to say that she believes Fara is about to be killed and that her own cover is being destroyed. She ends her note with saying that if she doesn't meet us in the landing bay, shes captured and that we should just get out while we can."

Fox glanced out of Falco and Slippy who exchanged a look, it appeared the stakes had just been raised again.

Fox nodded as he glanced back at Fay "Alright, so assuming that Miyu meets us in the hanger we'll need a way to get out. I have a feeling it can't be a simple as hitting an off switch on the control panel?" The last part of his sentence Fox directed at the spaniel.

Fay shook her head "I wish it was, but the shield is controlled from a secured command bunker located past the generator farm. Plus its only open as long as somebody is there to keep it open."

Falco stood up and gazed at the Macbeth map "So what do we do then?"

Fay grinned "You'll love this part, you see there is a bit of a flaw in the system that I found." Fay moved over to the data-pad and gestured at it" May I?" she asked Fox.

Fox nodded and stepped to the side as Fay punched in some commands on the data-pad. A short while later a series of lines appeared outlining the outside scope of the base. While the bulk of the base was located to the east of the landing bay they were going to enter at. A large potion stretched out to the west, assuming the arms of an octopus as the tunnels meandered out to five circular hubs. Falco felt his eyes widen just a bit "That's a pretty damn big base after all."

Fay nodded and put in a few more commands "It is, but the parts you'll be interested in are these three areas here, here, and here." At each one of her words a circle appeared around one of the west sides out reaching arms until she had a circle surrounding three of the hubs with a space between each one.

Falco glanced over his shoulder at her. "Whys that?"

Fay kept her eyes on the Macbeth map. "Because those three hubs are the back up generators. Designed to go active when ever one of the main generators goes down for repairs or because of another issue."

Falco grinned "Tell me I get to blow those up."

Fay nodded in response and Falco pumped his fist in the air "Yes! How big are we talking?"

Fay thought about it for the moment "Well, the least would require just the generators themselves being destroyed but taking out the whole hub wouldn't be bad either."

Falco pumped his fist again "Perfect, I got a supply of some black market explosives, extremely high tech and I've been waiting for a mission to test them out on."

Fox held up his paw "Wait, you have illegal and possibly untested explosives on board the ship?"

Falco grinned at his friend "I never said that, now did I?"

Fox sighed and shook his head "I'm best friends with a madman."

Fay laughed softly "Well I can assume that's taken care of."

Fox nodded "Yep, so we make a stop by these hubs while on our way to-"

Fay cut him off "Can't do that, those hubs have high security, well need to attract as much attention to us so Falco can move around unseen. If they see him planting the explosives the escape plan won't work."

Krystal was studying the map herself "Why not?" she asked.

Fay glanced at her "Well, the reason I was going to have Falco destroy those hubs was because of the flaw in the system. If those generators are destroyed while the main system is using them, a power override command is issued automatically to balance things out. It siphons power from the bay door shields, counting on the blast doors to keep things out or in."

Fox nodded "Okay, so you and I move though the base creating as much havoc as we can to distract the security force while we move towards...where exactly?"

Fay went back to the data-pad and put in more commands. "We'll carve our way through these side hallways." As she spoke a line appeared from the disguised hanger and moved through the inside lines of the base. "I suspect that they'll be holding Miyu here." A large circular room with several rooms connected to it was highlighted. "This is the main interrogation room, once we get there I'll try and get into the computers and locate Miyu, after we spring her, she'll lead us to Fara."

Miyu glanced over at Fox as she paused. When she continued speaking she turned to face the screen. "After we have Fara, we'll double back through some of the side hallways before we stop off at air control and open some of the vents."

Fox nodded "To bypass any security doors they'll have dropped, right?"

Fay nodded slowly in return "Sorta, you see the doors drop in the vents too, in the form of another set of enhanced shields."

Fox glanced at Fay "so how do we get past them."

Fay turned to face Falco "That's where he comes in, I can hack the terminal in the air control room to gain access to the power balance. If everything goes right, Falco should have the charges planted and I can swap the power. We'll have a five second window to blow the hubs and cause the override. When it kicks in, all enhanced shields get phased to normal shields."

Fox nodded again "Including the ones in the vents, which allows us through."

Fay glanced back at the data pad "After that we drop off at the power center here and have a straight shot to the hanger." Fay paused "I need to mention this now, the override only last for however long it takes for the power to equalize."

Falco glanced at Fay "Which is...?"

Fay chewed on her lips "Twenty minutes, give or take."

Fox and Falco glanced at the map. "Lot of ground to cover." Falco began "I'll need to be at least halfway back to the hanger before I can blow the charges to stand any chance of reaching it in time." Fox nodded his agreement "Try to move fast then buddy."

Fay glanced between them "You're still in then?"

Falco snorted "Of course."

Fay sighed "Good, I was afraid you would back out after I outlined my plan."

Fox shook his head "Not with the lives of Miyu and Fara on the line." Fox turned back to the map "However, one thing does worry me, the point where we go off the plan and start following Miyu. We'll be completely reliant on her and if shes wrong about where Fara is we may need to pull out anyway."

Fay nodded "I can only hope that Fara is near by." Fay paused again "Oh and one last thing you should know. The Remnants have their hands in a lot of the newest prototype being developed, so there is a high chance we'll come across tech that you'll have never seen before."

Falco turned to face her "Like..."

Fay shrugged, "I only know of a few, and I won't tell you about them unless we come across it. No sense in worrying you about it."

Falco opened his mouth to protest by Fox raised a paw. "Fair enough Fay." he turned to face her "So what exactly will we need to bring with us on this mission?"

Fay put a finger to her lips "Well, lets see, Falco has explosives covered, so we'll just need heavy blasters, some grenades, oh and body armor wouldn't hurt."

Fox nodded "We've got the weapons covered in the armory, but the Great Fox only has standard Recon armor in its lockers. We go out and get anything else we might need for the mission if it calls for it before hand."

Fay nodded "Alright, some is better then none. Other then some spare communicators and gear to give to Fara and Miyu. We should be good aside from what ever you two want to bring."

Falco stood up and stretched "Commando Raid in a sense, just like that mission back in the academy eh Fox?"

Fox looked over at him and gave a sharp nod "Yep, but I think this one might be just a little bit harder." Fox paused for a moment before he turned back to face the room. "Alright, we'll rig our new ships with the transponder codes to slip by the patrol. Dive down to the surface and lure out the Remnants attack squad. Falco, Fay, and I, will sneak into the base and get Miyu and Fara while Slippy and Krystal strafe the top side and keep any other pilots distracted. Then they'll cover us as we blast out of the hanger and book it to the Great Fox where Danielle and her team will have everything ready for us to blast out of here."

Everybody around the room nodded as Fox finished talking, although the engineers still hesitated for a moment before nodding with the rest.

Fox pressed a button on his gauntlet "ROB how far are we out from Macbeth?"

ROB's voice echoed out through the room "The Great Fox II will reach Macbeth in twenty-three hours and forty-five minutes."

Fox nodded "Alright you have twenty hours to do whatever you want. Then I want everybody preparing for the mission. I suggest you all get some sleep."

With that he walked out of the room and left the rest of the team to their plans. Krystal waited a moment to get up and follow him, Falco following soon after, slowly the room emptied until it was just Fay staring at the Macbeth that rotated on the screen. "Hold on girls, I'm coming for you, and bringing one hell of a team."

-|- Nineteen Hours Later -|- Fox and Krystal's Quarters -|-

Fox woke up early, he usually did. Something about being in charge of others always had him getting up before them to get a head start on preparing. As he blinked and looked around the room he realized that Krystal wasn't asleep next to him. Slightly surprised he rolled off of their bed and after getting dressed checked their room to make sure she wasn't any where in it.

Wondering where she was Fox moved through out the ship, stopping by the kitchen area to grab an apple before moving his search to the bridge. Finding only ROB guiding them towards Macbeth in the distance Fox decided to check their main hanger. As the elevator opened on the hanger Fox was surprised to hear the sound of a socket wrench. Moving towards the sound he was again slightly surprised to find Krystal cross legged on the engine apartment of her Arwing.

She was dressed in jeans and t-shirt, both of which were slightly stained, and seemed to be consulting a data-pad that was sitting next to her on the housing. Fox walked up to the side of her ship and glanced up as she worked. She didn't even turn to face him as she moved to grab at something in the housing. "Hey Fox." she said absently as she pulled something out of the housing, a number of wires still attached to it.

Fox watched her compare the device she was holding to the data-pad before she sighed and put the piece back into the housing. Fox raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth, but closed it as Krystal plucked the question from his mind.

"I've been up for about an hour or so, couldn't sleep, decided to come down here and see what I could do. I took a little bit of damage from an over heat during the training fight. Slippy said he would fix it, but I found his design notes and figured why not. I've worked on ships before it couldn't be that complicated."

Fox shook his head as she trailed off, he glanced back up at her with a grin pulling at his mouth "Except?"

Krystal frowned as she reached back into the housing "Slippy's notes are all over the place and doesn't seem to hold to a normal Arwing design."

Fox chuckled as he pulled himself up onto the wing and walked along to the area she was sitting. He glanced down into the open housing as he spoke "Well you know these aren't exactly normal Arwings."

Krystal sighed "I know, I just...I need to be doing something."

Fox glanced at her as she slid off the top of the housing and landed on the wing next to him "Why's that?" he asked as they both dropped down to the hanger floor.

Krystal shook her head before she replied "I don't know, I just woke up with a bad feeling in my gut and couldn't get back to sleep."

Fox glanced at her as he led her over to his ship "Thoughts on the mission?"

Krystal shook her head again "I don't know." she paused and looked thoughtful "Actually, now that I focus on it, the feeling has been around for a while now. It's just getting to me now. It's like there is this evil around us that's been slowly getting stronger. Or something is about to make its move."

Fox looked at her sideways for a moment. They stopped in front of his ship and Fox thought about what she had said. "You don't think there is a spy on the ship do you?"

Krystal looked at him startled "You mean for the Remnants?"

Fox nodded "Who else, its not like we have secrets for the Army. Besides think of it this way, you've had the feeling for a while and now that we're about to make our first directed attack at them. The feeling has gotten stronger, what else could it be but a spy who is going to try and ruin our plan?"

Krystal glanced down at the floor as she ran a paw over her muzzle "It makes sense in a way. But lets say there is a spy, who could it be?"

Fox thought about it for a moment "Well it would have to be somebody new to the ship, that rules out the team of course, but it does leave Danielle and her team, and Fay too I suppose, she could be feeding us all a story about needing our help."

Krystal nodded and Fox walked over to his ship leaping up into the cockpit "But what about the army and her going undercover."

Fox leaned down in the cockpit checking something, his voice drifted out towards her "Well that's the thing, she could have spent so long in cover that she actually got corrupted and is now fully working for them. It's doubtful but still possible."

Krystal glanced around, almost afraid of being overheard "So, if there really is a spy and they are about to make a move, what do we do?"

Fox paused for a moment before he sat up in his cockpit and glanced down at her "The only thing we can safely do for now, we watch, and wait for our chance to stop them."

Krystal cast another glance around the hanger, worry written on her face.

-|- Four hours later -|- Space around Great Fox II -|-

Fox sat in the cockpit of his Arwing, watching as the rest of the team lifted off the hanger deck and launched. He reached down between his legs and double checked to make sure his bag was there with all his gear. He sat up and had to adjust his position briefly to stay comfortable in his recon armor. Although the armor was only composed of a couple energy diffusing plates that covered his chest, arms, and legs. It was still bulkier then his normal attire and he wasn't used to wearing it in his Arwing.

As the last of his team mates joined him outside he opened a comm line "Slippy, are the beacons online?"

Slippy's voice answered quickly "Yep, I even modified them to show us as normal Corneria fighters. Unless somebody points a camera at us, we can pass as military. By the time they realize we're not we should be in the sensor cloud.

Fox nodded and moved his Arwing in position. "Fay, your in control of timing, how long do we have until those patrols pass each other?"

Fays voice responded as the group moved towards the entry point. "We've got about five minutes till the cruisers pass each other on their patrol. Add on another five for the various fighters to mingle before we push through. That's our most dangerous part in my view. We'll show up on radar as Cornerian, but any one of those fighters could make visual on us and decide to just open fire."

Falco's face appeared "So, we'll need to be quick, but not draw attention to ourselves."

Krystal laughed softly "Well then, we'll just have to leave you behind show off."

"Yea, can it sister."

Fox lead the group to the entry point "Okay, I'm with Fay on this one, keep it cool, and as soon as she gives us the clear, hit your boost and book it for the surface."

A serious of okays answered Fox and they spent the next ten minutes waiting in silence. The two cruisers finally passed each other. Their fighter nets merging for a moment while they passed. The group slowly made their way closer into the fighter net, merging with it as well. "Fay, tell us when."

"Not yet."

Another twenty seconds past and Falco spoke up "Fay their going to be splitting apart. We'll be pretty obvious then."

"Not yet."

The fighter net started to break apart into their separate flights and the cruisers were moving on.

Falco groaned "Fay."

"Not yet."

The last of the fighters broke off and Fox began to doubt her, he glanced to either side and almost missed what Fay was looking for.

There.

One of the fighters paused in his movement, he finally placed the sensor blips with ships and was surprised. Curiosity getting him for the one crucial moment, in which his finger hesitated.

"Now!"

Fox pressed the button for his boost while his thumb slid his engine output to full. His Arwing jolted slightly as it went from its slow drift to max speed in just a few moments. For one brief moment space and stars blurred as his vision went foggy. His G-Diffuser caught up easily enough and his sight corrected. He glanced at his own sensor, ahead of him he could see the sensor jamming cloud as a yellow sphere. His team mates were just ahead of him, Fay leading the charge, and there behind them, three fighters, just barely catching on.

Fay had hit it perfectly.

The bulk were too far away to pull a sharp loop and catch up, that left just these drifters, who would be yelled at to ignore them and to wait for reinforcements. By that time, The three of them should be in the base and Krystal and Slippy should be leading the fighters away, if they even followed them down to the surface at all.

They hit atmosphere and Fox switched his G-Diffuser system with out even thinking about, his ind suddenly being pulled ahead to the mission, and its goal. Would she be the same, the fiery fennec who didn't take no for an answer? Would she be okay with Fox moving on with out her? Would she-

Fox shook his head sharply as the sensor blocking cloud took over his Arwing. The various panels flashing in alarm as suddenly all sensors and even most of the general readings were cut out. He worried slightly when his Arwings flashed his shield readout out him, warning that his shields were gone. Fay had told him that it wasn't true, but there was no way to gauge shields while in the cloud.

Cloud was a bit of a misnomer Fox thought to himself as he glanced outside his ship. Sure there was a grimy looking green mist that hugged the top ten feet of Macbeth, but the air around the Arwings was free and clear. If it wasn't for his systems being on the fritz, he could almost say that Macbeth looked peaceful.

"Heads up, the hill is just ahead"

Fays voice snapped Fox out of his thoughts and he focused again on what was coming up. He reached over and hit a button for a new weapon that Slippy had loaded on their Arwings, for this mission. Hoping that Slippy's idea would work, Fox made sure that none of his team mates were behind him before he button again and a hatch on the bottom of his Arwing opened and a small sphere tumbled out only to shoot up into the air a moment later.

Five seconds later the orb stopped moving and a small cylinder slid out, focusing on Fox's Arwing. Moments later a grainy video screen popped up on his communications display. In it he could see his Arwing as he flew along with his team.

Falco's voice sounded "Huh, I'll be damned, its fuzzy, but it works."

Slippy sighed over the radio "I was a little afraid it wouldn't, but glad my hunch paid off."

Fox smiled and did a little wave of his wings at himself before nodding "Good work Slip." He said as they passed the hill, their cameras trailing just out of sight behind them.

Fox waited with the rest of his team as they flew on straight like they were doing a search grid. It wasn't long before he saw movement in his camera. "I've got something." he said as he watched the fighter 'sneak' up on him.

"Same here." Falco responded

"They should be trying to sneak up on all of us at once." Fay responded, watching her own bogey in her camera.

Fox took a tighter grip on his control sticks as he readied himself "Alright, wait for their charge, then loop and blast them."

Fox watched as the energy began building on the nose of his pursuer. He waited with everybody else before calling out "Now!" he cried as he adjusted his thruster output and pulled back on his flight stick. His Arwing pulling up in a sharp curve as the energy that had just been released from the pilot lanced out below him. Fox finished his loop and came down right behind his enemy, who was now trying to dodge out of the way.

Fox didn't give him the chance, mercilessly pounding away at his shields until they sparked and fell, allowing his laser to score the surface of his fighters. After a few seconds one of his bolts burned through into the engine housing and fire spewed from his output, moments later the fighter burst apart at the seams a fire ball replacing it and wiping out the life within in a few painful seconds.

He saw several similar flashes from his team mates before he pulled a sharp u turn and blasting back towards the base. "Falco, Fay, lets go, boost back. Krystal Slippy, get ready to fight."

Moments later Falco and Fay lined up into place behind him. Fay spoke up "We have to time this perfectly, are you sure two can pull this move off?"

Falco snorted "Hah, please, I was about to ask you that."

Fox didn't say anything, instead choosing to focus on the rapidly approaching hill in front of him. His boost died out just short of the hill and as they flew over, they were rewarded with the sight of a set of fighters blasting out from the hidden side of the hill and flying out over them.

Fox boosted forward again, pushing forward on his stick to send the Arwing arcing down on the front of the hill. A quick adjustment and he braked hard, releasing little blasts from his underside jets, causing his Arwing to flip upside down and hang their for a moment before releasing the brake and moving forward into the base, flying in between the rapidly closing doors. He flippy the Arwing right side up and hit his brakes again, bringing the fighter to land on the hanger floor. Besides him, Fay and Falco's Arwings, touched down as well. Their canopy's sliding open just moments before Fox's.

Fox jumped out of his Arwing, his recon plates clacking together as he landed hard on the ground. His normal attire had been replaced with a set of black combat boots and pants and a shirt of the same color. A helmet wrapped around his head with a visor that dropped down as he landed covering his eyes and bringing up a energy display for a diffusing field that his armor generated. Overlaid with that was an ammo count showing how many spare energy crystals he had.

Fox turned his head to watch Fay as she flipped out of her fighter, as she flipped through the air he hand grabbed the stock of the standard issue sniper rifle she had brought from their armory. She yanked it off her back and into the air, as she landed she caught the rifle and quickly pulled it to her shoulder. She aimed for something up in the corner of the hanger and pulled the trigger, the thin red beam lancing out and causing something to explode. She slapped the side of the gun ejecting the now empty gray crystal and grabbed a green one from a pack on her hip and sliding that into the chamber that empty crystal had popped out of. She quickly turned around and shot at another point on the wall. The beam causing another thing to explode. She repeated this process four more times before she paused and slung the rifle back onto her equipment holster.

Fox stared at Fay as she reached down and adjusted her brown combat boots that reached up to join with her black leggins and red shirt. All of this was covered with a similar set of armor as Fox's except hers was a dark red, was a bit thicker and covered most of her upper body and legs. Leaving only her upper arms and lower legs exposed to fire. From one hip hung a pack of energy crystals and hanging from the other was a new weapon Fox had never seen before. It was about the size of his Machine Gun but bulkier then normal, it had a wide barrel and a stock. It also appeared to have a slide of some sort along the side.

Falco walked around Fox's Arwing with his side arm drawn and a large pack slung over his shoulder. He was dressed in the same outfit and armor as Fox. Except his helmet didn't have slits for ears to poke out. "Nice shooting, just one question. What the hell were you shooting at?"

Fay glanced at Falco "Just the cameras that were in this room. I would rather try and keep the fact that we got three of us here a secret."

Fox nodded while Falco snorted "Oh yea, that will work, they'll just ignore the third Arwing then?"

Fay frowned at the bird "Once the leaders of the base sees me, they'll know I'm here to break someone out. They'll just assume that the third ship if for them." Fay looked towards the hanger doors "You know, unless you keep standing here flapping your beak and don't get out of sight before the guards get here."

Falco mimed her speaking with his hand before he ran off to hide in a storage room until Fox and Fay lured the guards away. Fay sighed as the door closed and she reached for the weapon that she had sitting on her leg. She braced the weapon on her shoulder with both arms and gestured towards the door. "Shall we?"

Fox nodded again, saving his questions for now. They moved towards the door and were just passing some crates when the door slid open and poured six troopers into the room. Fox made to move back and duck down behind the crate, but he didn't have to as Fay just kept moving forward, pulling the trigger on her weapon and sending out a flurry of dark blue energy bolts that crashed into the six troopers before they could spread out. The bolts spread out in a tight radius and struck the troopers, causing four of the heavily armed Remnants to fly back and lay still, the other two being knocked back a step.

Fay didn't pause, instead reaching up she grabbed the slide on her weapon and pulled it, a set of four gray energy crystals flying out the side to clatter on the ground next to her. She released the slide and it slid back into position and Fay pulled the trigger again, releasing another blast of energy this time the last two Remnants both dropped to the ground and lay still, a puddle of red liquid below each one of them.

Fay paused and glanced back at Fox "Well, come on."

Fox blinked and shook his head "Whoa whoa, what the hell is that?"

Fay was calmly sliding more blue crystals into the bottom of her weapon. "What's what?"

Fox pointed at her weapon with his own "That, the thing you're holding that just took out six heavily armored troopers in two shots."

Fay glanced down at her weapon then back up at Fox "I told you that the Remnants have access to extremely high tech."

Fox frowned at her "Stop dodging the question what is it."

Fay sighed "You ever heard of a shotgun?"

Fox thought for a moment, Falco was the weapons buff but Fox did pick up the occasional thing. "Sure, it's a really old weapon, shot little lead balls from a cartridge that spread out."

Fay nodded "Close enough, this-" she said as she held up her own weapon "-is the energy version of that. Except instead of just taking one energy crystal and siphoning off a little amount for each round, like your Machine Gun does. This one takes four entire energy crystals for one shot. They spread out and drill through most armor in one hit.

Fox shook his head "Never use that around Falco."

Fay blinked "Why not?"

Fox walked by her still shaking his head "Because he would kill you just to have that gun."

Fay thought about that for a moment before she shook her head and ran after Fox.

Together the two of them proceeded down the hall way, Fay taking the lead following some map in her head as she lead them past junction after junction. Sometimes a left here, a right there, never once did they have to double back. They stopped occasionally to fight off a squad of six or ten Remnants, Fay usually cut them down with a few shots, with Fox managing to take down one or two. All in all Fox was suitably impressed with Fay, this wasn't the sometimes air headed person who flew with his team years ago. This was a hardhearted killer, if the spy gig never worked out, she would make one hell of a mercenary.

Eventually they reached the main generator room, as the door slid open in front of them, Fox felt his eyes go wide, he couldn't help it. This place shouldn't be able to hide.

The pair walked out onto a catwalk and Fox whistled softly as he walked to the edge and put a hand on the railing and leaning over.

Fay spoke up from beside him "Be careful, if you fall, you'll have one hell of a wait before you splat."

Fox nodded staring down at the rows upon rows of generators that stretched down into the earth. He glanced to his left at the length and whistled again. He turned to his right to face Fay. "Is it wrong that I want to spit over the side?"

Fay laughed softly and shook her head "I don't blame you. But no time now, the Catwalk is a bad place to be to get into a firefight. No cover what so ever."

Fox nodded "Right, how long after this until we reach the prison area?"

Fay gestured to a line that ran above them "Its not well known to most, but this wire sends a charged current, people who have the right armor can eject a hook and ride this wire. We can cross is just under a minute."

Fox looked up at the wire "And you didn't mention this before..."

Fay grinned as a hook unfolded from the back of her armor. "I knew you would ask to have the armor. Now grab my hand and jump with me."

Fox shook his head and taking Fay's hand, jumped with her. Much to his surprise the wire caught the hook and they shot off above the catwalk. Fox having to raise his his feet to avoid dragging them along the metal. In no time at all the hook disengaged and folded back into Fay's armor. Dropping them both roughly to the ground.

Fay dusted her knees briefly before turning to Fox "Come on, not much further now."

Fox followed Fay as she lead him through more junctions until they reached a large circular room filled with crates. Fox stopped and looked around "What's all these?"

Fay glanced at the crates "More then likely weapons, must have run out of room in their armory."

Fox glanced at the crates spread everywhere through the room as he followed Fay to a side hallway. This lead to an elevator which Fay hacked open and they rode up into a control room. As the doors opened, two guards raised their guns, Fay dropped one with her gun while Fox dropped the other. Fay turned to a console and reached underneath her leg armor and pulled out a chip. She plugged this into the console and data started scrolling by, Fay punched in some information and waited as the console did what she asked.

A moment later she turned back to Fox "I found Miyu, shes two floors below us." Fay moved back towards the elevator "Come on."

Fox caught her arm as she went towards the elevator "Hold on, is this odd?"

Fay looked at him "What?"

Fox glanced around at the control center, the fur on the back of his neck rising "This is the command center for a prison area, there should be _somebody _here besides just a few guards. Come on, somethings not right here."

Fay looked around as well "You could be right, but trust me I've seen a prison place like this before, and trust me, they can be empty for hours on end. Now lets go."

Fay called the elevator and Fox's fur rose even higher, the elevator should have been on the same floor...

A few moments later Fox was walking down a hallway with various empty cells while Fay traced a parallel one. He was glancing back and forth his mind still being alert for any clues why all the cells were empty. Which is why he almost missed the occupied one.

At the end of the hall right next to a window the over looked the large circular room they had come in from, and across from a large crate was a female Lynx that Fox almost didn't recognize. She was laying in the corner of the cell, looking almost dead, she was thinner then Fox remembered and had a moon pattern dyed into her exposed arm, she wore light clothing dyed black that hung from her frame. Her eyes were closed and her chest wasn't moving.

Fox reached out and opened the energy field that sealed off the cell, scared to call out to Fay. Not wanting to tell her that they hadn't been fast enough, and it was his fault. He took a step in and reached a paw out. "Miyu?" he said softly.

Miyu's eyes snapped open and her paw flung out to grab Fox's and pull him into a hold, she stood up, keeping her hold on Fox, It was at this point Fox felt a prick on his neck. "Remnant scum, you should have known better then to open that door. Now, you and me, we'll walk out, nice and slow."

Fox grinned at her voice. He coughed gently against her hold "You little faker."

The hold loosened and Fox slipped out backing away from Miyu as she stared in shock at him. "Fo...Fox?" Miyu blinked and looked around before rubbing her eyes. "But. How?" Fox and Miyu walked out of the cell, stopping in the hallway. "Fay got your message and she broke cover to have us help her break you out."

Miyu stared at Fox.

Fox matched the stare "...What?"

Miyu blinked "I didn't send any message, I got captured a month ago."

Fox narrowed his eyes as one hand went for his blaster and the other for his comm link. "Fay its a trap, I repeat."

He didn't have to though as Fay tore around the corner of their hallway at full tilt, running for them. "Lets go, lets go!" she called as she ran. She reached the two of them and they turned to face the hallway only to have a heavily armored ape step around the corner, he was holding a large and unknown weapon and he only took a moment to aim and fire at the trio.

Fay pushed Miyu to the side and she stumbled back into her cell, then she talked Fox behind the crate. A glowing green disc struck the window and stayed there. Three seconds later it exploded, shattering the window.

As the heat washed over Fox, Fay pulled him to his feet. "Come on, jump." she said as she did just that. Fox watched her fall to the ground ten feet below, rolling as she hit and standing up. Fox copied her jump and roll. As he stood up he heard somebody laughing behind him.

He turned to face the blown out window to see the ape, still holding that strange rifle with both hands. "Welcome Fox McCloud, glad to see our ruse worked perfectly. My name is Maestro, and I shall be you executioner tonight."

With that Maestro stepped out of the window and Fox and Fay ran for cover, behind them they heard the heavy thud of Maestro as he landed.

Fox and Fay glanced at each other from across a gap in the crates as Maestro fried another round down at them. It hit the crate Fox was hiding behind and Fox moved away as the crate exploded sending discs everywhere. Fox hid behind another crate and pulled his machine gun. This was not going to be easy.

* * *

><p>-|- Sargasso Region -|-<p>

* * *

><p>Wolf O'Donnell's office wasn't very large, nor was it extravagant. It was simple, he had a large heavy oak desk that sat in the middle with his personal computer on it. A cushioned chair for him to sit on, and in the corner a couch, that served as his bed at night.<p>

Currently, Wolf was pacing around his desk, waiting for something that he deemed important. His new employer had some large demands that Wolf was glad to deliver on, but now it was almost time for a report and his agent hadn't contacted him yet.

Wolf sat down in his chair, thinking about why he had accepted this contract. There was a great amount of risk to him, but he had never cared about that before. Yet something still rubbed him raw about it. Perhaps it was the fact that there was a change coming, he could feel it, now that he had some details from his employer. Lylat was about to be changed forever, in a way that nobody would see coming.

His computer beeped and Wolf sat forward in his chair, tapping the screen and accepting the vid-call.

"You're late." He snarled.

"Sorry, had trouble getting away."

"Well?" Wolf asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"I'm on the ship and no one suspects anything, at least not from what I can tell."

Wolf nodded "Alright, keep your eyes open, that particular pup is hard to fool." he leaned forward and tapped on his desk. "What about this project that they want you monitoring."

"As far as I can tell from the scanner we were given, the project continues to improve."

Wolf nodded as he leaned back "Whats on the scanner?"

"From what I can tell its just a brain activity scan of some sort. But I send the images when I'm supposed to and I get a 'good' in reply. So I guess somethings going right."

Wolf rubbed his muzzle "So still no clue what it is?"

"No sir, but obviously its one of them, I just don't know whats up with the brain scan."

Wolf nodded "Alright, keep your ears and eyes open, I don't like being kept in this much darkness, anything I can find out about our employer and this plan of his. The more I have to leverage if this goes south."

"Of course Boss."

"What about your cover, still intact?" Wolf asked as he leaned forward again.

"Yep, Danielle doesn't suspect a thing."

Wolf nodded one last time "Good, keep it that way, same time next week."

"Yes Boss."

Wolf tapped the screen ending the call, he settled back into his chair again, his mind running fast. What could they be monitoring with a brain scan? Which one of them were they watching?

One thing Wolf knew for sure, the system was about to be changed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well there you have it Reader, now was that a deal or was that a deal, so go ahead and click that review button and leave your thoughts. <strong>_

_**Well all wacky sales man crap out of the way...**_

_**Ah holy hell readers, I'm sorry that this has taken so freaking long. I do have a very good reason though, I'm a huge RPG nut, and I have been getting into all the big ones. I spent a good amount of time playing FFXII-2 and KoA: Reckoning, and I even played the Darkness 2. But what's really been eating time: Mass Effect. Holy crap, I got early access into the demo and I havn't been able to stop playing, then Multiplayer went live and I started playing that and I just always forgot to find time and write.**_

_**I am seriously sorry. Anyway. I hope you enjoyed, and sorry its not all done, but when I reached twenty-one pages, I figured that was enough to post and to keep you all tied over. Plus I felt bad about the whole pretty much not updating thing.**_

_**Until next time...**_

_**Peace,**_

_**-Emile**_


	8. Prison Break!

_**Well, its been quite a while, and I apologize, life got in the way and I really haven't worked on a whole lot else on my stories, aside from this. So, its a little short, but I did cover most of the Macbeth bit last chapter, this is really just the wrap up. I'm sure there are lots of mistakes and stuff, but enjoy all the same.**_

_**Star Fox: **_**The ReArmed Conflict**

_**Chapter 8: **_**Prison Break!**

* * *

><p>-|- Earlier -|- Remnant Landing Bay -|-<p>

* * *

><p>Falco ran into the storage room and slapped the switch behind him, ensuring the door shut and locked from inside. Making sure the lock was engaged to ensure his privacy he decided to poke around real quick while he was here. He moved over to a small stack of crates and flipped the locks on the top one, as it opened Falco nodded his head.<p>

"Weapon Cases, I can work with that." he said as he grabbed a small one and popped the latches on it, revealing an old style revolver with some current tech wired into it along the barrel. Falco stared at the gun for a bit before he looked down at his thigh where he had strapped the pistol holster, and where he had tucked the weapon that the search crews found in the base wreckage from their last tangle with the Remnants. That gun looked a lot like the one in the case right here. Falco turned his attention back to the case and noticed that there were several pre-loaded ammo holders for the older gun, and Falco grabbed them up and stuck them into his pockets.

He grabbed one of the ammo holders and held it up to his eye "Maybe now I can fire the one I got the way its meant to be fired. I always thought the laser blasts seemed a little weak." He reached down with his other hand and unclasped the belt over his holster. Pulling out the heavy pistol he looked it over with an interest again. Spotting what he wanted, he thumbed a button next to the cylinder and it popped out, and Falco noted that there were the exact five spots lined up on the ammo holder.

He slotted the ammo holder he had in his hand into the empty spaces, after he was sure the ammo was secure, he tapped the back of the holder off the cylinder and was satisfied to see the ammo staying in. He gave it an experimental flick with his finger and a smile creep onto his beak as the rough clicking sound reached his ears.

Jerking the gun to the side quickly the cylinder tumbled back into place and and stopped rotating with a solid thunk. Falco pulled back the old style hammer and aimed down the sights. "Oh yes, this, this feels right." Falco made sure the hammer was down before tucking the revolver back into its holster. He reached for another weapons case just as the sound of gunfire reached his ears.

"That would be my distraction then." he said aloud as he moved towards the door and killed the lights in the room, he tapped the doors panel and tucked himself along the side of the door as it slid open. He glanced out to see that the gun fight was already over. He moved out and had to duck back in as a unit of five ran down the hall, all silent and serious as they chased after his friends.

Falco waited a moment more to make sure they weren't going to be anymore squads running down the hallway. Then he made sure his large pack was secured and called up the map that Fay had uploaded into his helmet. As soon as it loaded Falco felt a littler calmer.

During the briefing, the rough drawing had Falco thinking there was only one hallway, instead it was a series of four, all interconnecting at various points. These formed a railway complete with tracks and a cart heading straight for his destination at the other end. Falco glanced at his map to make sure that the tracks wouldn't curve on him and take him somewhere else before he chose one of the carts and hopped in. He glanced around and noticed a red switch on the inside of the cart. He tapped it, and ducked as the switch turned green and a dome of sorts closed over the top of the cart.

Falco kept a sharp lookout as the cart slowly worked is way down the tracks. He was about to wonder if he could force the bubble open and walk since he could move faster then this cart when they passed through a gold field and the hallway took on a greenish glow. Falco realized that this part wasn't shielding from the radiation, he also noticed when the cart suddenly accelerated because he found himself flung down in to the back area from the sudden force.

Rubbing his head and wishing the cart came with a G-Diffuser system Falco popped his head up to glance down the tunnel only to duck again when he saw lights up ahead. The cart slowed and stopped and Falco cursed his luck. He heard voices faintly outside then his cart continued on. Praying that his cover wasn't blown Falco spent the rest of the short trip crouched on the bottom of the cart. When he passed through another gold field and the cart started to slow Falco readied himself for action. But when the cart stopped and the dome slid into the sides again, Falco peeked his head out and was greeted with...

Nothing.

Falco snorted as he flipped out of the cart, either these Remnant's had some really shitty internal security or Fox and Fay were really raising hell. Pushing that matter to the back of his mind Falco moved down the bright hallway, realizing how much he stood out and hugging the wall. However the hallway opened up into a dim room with a generator sitting in the middle of it. At First Falco was nonplussed, Fay had led him to think that this would be harder. Then he glanced around, and he realized how big the room was.

The generator that sat in the middle took up much of the space and was easily half the size of the Old Great Fox. These guys had some serious funding. Moving quickly Falco ran to the base of the generator and pulled out one of the small cylinders from his bag. This black market explosive, used to be a normal military demolition charge, then some nut went and got his hands on it. Falco had tested one earlier, the shockwave alone leveled a good half a mile around the explosion itself with took up almost another half a mile. Falco had barely paid attention during the explanation, just wanting to get his hands on the weapon.

He finished priming the explosive then set it next to the generator where it met up at the floor and was hard to see, then he stood up and glanced around. He called up his map and saw he was in the farthest generator room. Looking to his right he saw a a door and moved through it, heading towards it he entered the next room, he repeated the process of laying the bomb and then moved onto the next room. The next room was also empty and Falco quickly placed the last charge and moved back towards the cart. He reached the cart and hopped in, pushing the button as he did. He ducked down as the dome closed and hid himself in the bottom of the cart.

Congratulating himself on a job well done Falco forgot to count the time it took from him to get back. When he passed through a gold field and the cart stopped, Falco stood up as the dome slid back into the sides.

"Uh-oh"

"Hands up!" The ultra-male voice from beneath the Remnant helmet commanded him as two more stood at the sides with extremely large and odd looking weapons at him.

Falco glanced around and raised his hands slowly "I don-t-"

He didn't even get the overused quip out before the one who had command him to raise his arms reached out and zapped the bird with a device built into his gloves. The last thing Falco heard as blackness dominated his sight was a voice telling somebody that they had captured the bird.

And apparently he hated Mercenaries.

* * *

><p>-|- Remnant Prison Area -|-<p>

* * *

><p>Fox ducked away from the crate as it exploded and sent its contents everywhere. Fox backed quickly away from the large ape as it rounded the corner, its armor clicking as the gears inside worked to move the suit around. Realizing the futility of attacking with the machine gun he brought, Fox slung it over his back and looked around, he spotted one of the strange guns that Maestro was using and grabbed it. He pulled the trigger and looked down at it when it didn't fire anything.<p>

Maestro laughed and leveled his own version of the gun at him. "It might have helped it it was loaded." Fox reached down and grabbed a clip, ducking one of Maestros shots, Fox quickly loaded it and pulled the trigger again, this time he actually growled when the weapon didn't fire. Maestro continued laughing. "Are you really this stupid?" he asked, his voice full of gloating glee "I though the Star Fox team was supposed to be better then this."

Fox grinned at him "Oh we are, I haven't turned off the safety because I wanted your attention focused on me."

Maestro whirled around and fired.

At nothing.

Fay leaped on his back from where Fox was standing "Why are bad guys so predicable?" she called as she worked to open a hatch on his armor while the ape inside flung his body around trying to get her off. Fox watched with interest and chose not to respond. He just leaned up against one of the crates and watched as Fay worked, he kept the weapon lose in his arms and waited for his chance. It came when Maestro managed to grab one of Fays arms and pulled her over, slamming her hard into the ground. Fox winced as Fay cried out in pain, then he raised the gun and fired. The disc sailed straight into the open hatch on Maestro's back, not content with just that, he fired the last four discs in the clip as rapidly as he could. Maestro had turned around at the sound of the gun firing but three of the discs still managed to get into the hatch. Maestro growled and moved towards Fox, who waited from him to get closer. The explosions happened rapidly, and sent Maestro stumbling past Fox, gasping for breath. Fox grinned at him before moving over to check on Fay.

He helped her stand up and they turned to face Maestro. "Think he's had enough?" she asked him.

Maestro stood up straight at her voice. "No, but I have different orders." With a snap of his finger the doors on either side of the room opened and Remnants rushed in. They quickly over whelmed the two heroes by sheer numbers, and it wasn't long before Fox and Fay were at Maestros feet. Cuffs on their wrists and the glared up at the ape. He smiled and cupped Fays face in his palm.

"Oh, I really wanted to kill you, but higher up has other plans. For now, you get to share the cell block with your friend Miyu and that stupid bird we caught. We'll find whatever he did to our back up generators and get fix that. You failed Fay." Maestro paused and turned to Fox "Just something to think about in that cell, there is _no_ way out of this base, the plans you used to undoubtedly guide this attack we're modified. I'm sure you thought you could get out through the shields correct? Wrong, there is no feed back that could be caused. This entire performance, was just that, a performance, and you were the fool in the audience."

Fox glared at the ape but said nothing. He didn't have time to react before the burly ape made a fist and knocked the Star Fox leader into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>"Hey!"<p>

Fox groaned

"Hey! Foxy!"

Fox groaned again and opened his eyes, or rather tried to to. As soon as he tried to open his left eye an intense pain worked its way directly into his brain. With a wince and a groan, he put his hand over the cut that was sitting just above the eye.

"Yea, I bet it hurts doesn't it?"

"Falco, shut up. You got caught too."

Fox moaned before he spoke up "Fay, take it easy, on him."

Fox managed to get his eyes open and he sat up. Looking around he realized that they were in the same cells that they had just...attempted...to rescue Miyu from. He leaned against the wall of his cell and looked over to the right across the hall where Falco stood leaning against his own cell wall. Falco gave him a little wave and Fox sighed and leaned his head back.

"So what now Foxy?"

Fox laughed softly and said nothing for a moment "Plan B."

Fay sat up straighter. "Plan B, what's plan B? Nobody said anything about a Plan B."

Falco laughed again "Krystal."

* * *

><p>-|- Krystal's Arwing -|- Outside the Remnant Base -|-<p>

* * *

><p>Krystal glanced around once more, wondering if the Remnants were trying to sneak up on her again. She and Slippy had led the guards away on a merry chase and had downed two more waves before the fighters stopped coming out. Since then they had just been sitting in the cloud, watching their shields and checking systems to make sure that the radiation hadn't gotten through yet.<p>

What had Krystal on edge was the fact that she had felt a sudden shock from Fox some time ago, then nothing, and when she tried to reach down to find him with her mind, she found her powers blocked by the same thing from the last Remnant base they attacked. Which made the shock that much more worrying. How had it passed through whatever was blocking her?

Slippy's head appeared on her HUD "Hey, Krystal, what are we waiting for? Shouldn't Fox and the others have gotten out by now?"

Krystal turned her attention and her fighter to face another direction "Fox and Falco have a back up plan in place, just in case something goes wrong. If the signal is used, then we move on to Plan B. So don't worry about it Slippy."

Slippy looked confused for a moment before he shrugged "Okay, what the signal so that I know, and how can I help?"

Krystal looked out towards where the generators were "The Signal is something Falco said would get my attention, and all you need to do is cover me."

"Well, okay." Slippy's head faded from view just as a fireball erupted into the sky from where one of the Generators were. It was quickly followed by two more, from how far away they were and the conditions outside Krystal was surprised to see the fireballs from so far away. Their shock waves cascaded over the Arwings, shaking them slight in the air.

Slippy's head appeared again on her HUD "That's not the signal right? That's just Falco blowing the generators?"

Krystal nodded "It should be, now we wait, if all goes right, in less then twenty minutes they should fly out."

Twenty minutes came and went, with another twenty following before Krystal started paying sharper attention to her surroundings. What type of signal would Falco use? Preciously ten seconds later she had her answer.

Krystal and Slippy had been hovering on the other side of the base, over the crater, about where the Prison area was supposed to be. Just on the outside edge of the crater, about where the generators were supposed to be a series of explosions punched through the irradiated earth and into the sky. Krystal laughed as she reached with her mind down to the void that surrounded the base and found it gone, she connected with Fox and Falco easy enough and sent thoughts to each of them. Fox was the one who answered.

"_That's the signal Krystal, if my guess is right we have about ten minutes before all the shields fail and the radiation eats into this base. Ready to do some fancy flying?"_

Krystal took a tighter grip on her controls and turned her Arwing towards the smoking hole that had been created. She cued up her HUD "Slippy that the signal, you need to slave the Arwings controsl to my computer and have them follow my course."

Slippy looked puzzled for a moment "But the bay shields..."

Krystal started moving towards the hole "If that thing can stand three nova bombs at this point, I don't want to know what would puncture them."

Slippy nodded "Oh right, with most of the generators offline that shield can't take to much of a beating. Alright I'll get on that, just make sure its an even path for them to follow. They can't perform the same maneuvers as you can while piloting."

Krystal nodded as she kicked up her thrusters "I know Slippy, make sure you keep an eye out for any Remnant Fighters."

Slippy nodded "Right, Good luck Krystal."

Krystal closed the channel and focused on her flying, and talking to Fox.

"_Am I going to need directions?" _she asked him.

"_Maybe," _was his response. _"Can you pull the path we followed out of my mind?"_

She laughed and made sure he heard it _"I'll take that as a yes, just so you know, that generator room was built in a coring pit from the looks of it. Big drop, but the tunnel you're looking for is-"_

"_-I see it." _she cut him off as she flew into what remained of the generator room. Most of the large room had collapsed and what few generators remained sparked and hung limply in their cradles. _"Its a tight fit, I know I can fly it, but will the Arwings computers following my path? If there is too tight of a turn, they'll wreck, and we don't have a lot of time to work with here."_

His response was quick _"It's not like we have a lot of options here, if this fails, well, there is always plan C."_

Krystal confusion was plain to both of them _"There's a plan C?"_

Fox chuckled lightly _"Yep, just as soon as you think of one."_

Krystal rolled her eyes and focused on flying. It was only about two minutes before she reached the large room, which was where Fox was now being held. She was greeted with a flurry of active as Remnant troops ran about moving crates and loading them on to transport ship, the base was in full evacuation.

When Krystal blasted into the room, there was a stunned moment as the Remnants all looked up at her fighter. This day had not gone as they have planned apparently. Feeling no remorse, Krystal turned her blasters to rapid fire and poured the deadly energy around the room, as fast as she could pull the trigger. Those who didn't take cover were vaporized instantly. It only took a few short passes to clear the room, anybody who remained was either critically injured, or hiding from her.

Krystal set her Arwing down as three more flew in behind her. After the Arwing was hovering close enough to the ground she popped her canopy and hopped out of the craft. As she landed she pulled her staff off her back and moved into the room, she was halfway to the elevator that would take her up towards Fox when another door opened to her right.

Krystal turned to see a large ape lean out the door and aim a odd gun at her Arwing. He fired a small disk that stuck to the side of her Arwing. Giving it a small glare, Krystal held out her hand and flicked two fingers back towards the ape. The disc launched off the Arwing like the ship was another gun and hit the ape with enough force to dent his armor and send him stumbling back. Krystal waved and blew him a kiss right as the disc exploded and sent him tumbling back into the room he had come out of.

Krystal nodded and continued her run to the elevator, when she reached it, she swung herself into the car and pressed the button for where she felt Fox was at and stepped to the side as the elevator. The elevator quickly rose and when it stopped and the doors slid open a hail of bullets slammed into the metal. Krystal shook her head and twirled her staff around before she stepped around and waved it down the hallway, focusing her energy down through the staff and into a force of power that had only one way to go. Before any of the troops in the hallway could react, Krystal had sent them all flying down the hallway crashing through the window on the far end and out into the main room.

Nodding at her successful channel of energy Krystal moved down into the hallway. She quickly located the four cells and frowned at the cell doors that were still operational. She glanced into the cell Fox was in, who shrugged at her unspoken question and spoke up "I guess each cell has its own power source."

Fay called out to Falco "I didn't hear her say anything."

Falco called back "Her and Fox have this connection thingy, it takes a little getting used to."

Fay said nothing, just watched as Krystal reached into a pouch on her belt and removed four small circles, she stuck each one to the corresponding control panel for a cell and moved back towards the elevator. She pulled out a detonator and triggered it, wincing as the small shockwave blasted through the hallway and each one of the cell doors deactivated.

Her teammates stepped out and waved their hands at the smoke from the explosive. Krystal ran by them, pulling a cord of rope off her hip and anchoring it to the side of the wall by the window with a nail gun. "Come on" She called as she wrapped the rope around one hand. "No time for the elevator, we need to get into the Arwings and get out of here." with that she jumped out the window and rappelled down to the ground floor.

Fox and the others quickly followed, each one taking a turn to rappel down to the ground floor. After they had all landed they followed Krystal as she dashed back towards the Arwings. Fox gestured to Miyu as he ran. "Miyu, you're getting into my storage compartment!" he glanced back over at Krystal and she nodded flicking out a hand at Fox's Arwing, the storage area in the nose of the Arwings underside door slid open.

Krystal jumped into the air and landed in her Arwing with the rest following suit, Miyu slid under Fox's Arwing and grabbing the lip of the storage area swung herself up and into the compartment, hitting a close switch on the inside. As the canopy's hissed and closed and the shield systems started up, radiation alerts appeared on all of the screens.

Falco's head was the first to appear on the HUD "You see what I'm seeing Fox?"

Fox nodded "Yea, I have no idea how long we were exposed to it."

Krystal's head appeared "Boys, I'm just as worried about the radiation as you are. But if we don't get out of here now, we won't have time to worry about it."

Fox nodded his head "Fair point." he lifted his Arwing off the ground and gave it a deft turn, wincing as he heard a thudding sound from his nose. "Sorry Miyu." he muttered as he directed his fighter towards the exit. "Lead the way?" he asked looking at Krystal.

"Gladly" She replied as she blasted ahead "Try and keep up boys." she called as she lead them down the hallway. Although there was no fire chasing after him this time, Fox was heavily reminded of the time he fought Andross on Venom, when he had discovered what he really looked like, and what that twisted ape had done to himself.

Andross had tried to take Fox down with him after Fox had delivered the final blow, but Fox had escaped through a series of narrow tunnels much like these. He had given up hope before then, but his dad had appeared to him and guided him out.

"_I know about that day Fox, but this time you're following me out, focus on my ship this time love."_

Fox smiled as Krystal's voice drifted through his head. He gave a small shake of his head then added on a boost of speed to close the distance between their ships. They reached the shaft where the generators used to be and Fox whistled softly at the destruction that he had caused. Looking up spotted the crater and directed his Arwing up and towards the sky.

"Hey Fox" Falco spoke up "How are we going to get by the patrols?"

Slippy cut in suddenly "Oh you don't have to worry about that."

Fox pulled his fighter to a stop in the air with the rest of his squad. He made Slippy's head bigger on his

HUD. "What's up Slip?"

Slippy was sitting in his Arwing, tapped into the Great Fox sensors running data. "When the shield system started failing, the Remnants started evacuation in mass. I really mean that too, they apparently had bases elsewhere on Macbeth as well. Their swarming the sky and protecting cargo ships as they try to get off planet. I arranged for the Great Fox to come into the system, and reported that we had already deployed to the surface once we directed the attack."

Fox smiled "So we get to fly up and kick Remnant can?"

Slippy nodded "Pretty much."

Some thumping from below reminded Fox that he had a passenger in storage. "Sounds like a plan, lets get out of the mist so I can get in contact with the Great Fox."

Fox lead his team into the sky and towards space, as soon as they broke from the sensor cloud Fox commend the Great Fox. "Danielle, do you copy?"

Danielle's face appeared, she looked a little worried "So much for not doing any battle eh Fox?"

Fox laughed ashe and his team left Macbeths atmosphere "Yep, I'm sorry about that, things didn't go according plan. How are you holding up?"

Danielle glanced off screen at something "Well let see, I'm in a control of a Dreadnaught class ship, owned by a mercenary team, that was just completely rebuilt and made space worthy less then a year ago. Oh and lets not forget that I've never done anything like this before, and your robot is extremely bossy during a battle."

Fox shook his head "Well I've got one more for you, is someone available to get one of our extra Arwings ready?"

Danielle glanced off to the side "We've got your modified fighters ready, Saz is down in the engine room watching the power draw from the main guns, but I think that Xena can get the extra fighter ready. I'm guessing somebody is itching to get some revenge."

Fox nodded "Its a safe bet. Miyu was always a little, feisty."

Danielle smiled "Alright, uh, one second, I just got a line up on one of the Remnant Cargo ships. Rob do we have a firing solution from the Corneria Army?" Danielle paused for a moment while she listened to ROB "Okay." she turned her attention back to Fox "Get ready for a light show Fox, we just got a go ahead to stop a Remnant Cargo ship from leaving the system."

Fox nodded as he guided his team towards the Great Fox "You haven't fired on an actual ship yet?"

Danielle shook her head "No, the Corneria Army wanted us to save our firepower for the Cargo ships. Fox the hanger doors are opened, I've got to turn my attention back to the battle."

Fox nodded "Alright Danielle, good job with the ship. We're almost there."

Fox closed the connection and then opened one to the rest of his team. "We're going to stay here for a moment, Falco you'll like this. Time to see what the main guns will do to a shielded Cargo ship."

The team fell silent as they watched the main guns of the Great Fox start to glow. Shortly after they pulsed, and shot out the familiar twin beams. They lanced out towards a Remnant Cargo ship that had gotten past the blockade and was making for deep space. The beams impacted against a shield and dissipated across its protective bubble. But it didn't stop the solid slugs that punched right through the shields and spiraled right into the core of the ship. Less then two seconds later a timed charge inside the shells exploded violently, shredding the inner decks and blasting the the ship in half.

Activity from the other Cargo ships stopped as if the loss of the ship was a shockwave sent to all the pilots. A heartbeats moment passed, then another. Then the rest of the Cargo ships exploded violently, not even being ripped apart by the explosions, so much as disintegrated by the force of the charges hidden in each one. Anything nearby was instantly vaporized, this meant a large amount of the Cornerian fighters were destroyed in an instant. The Cargo ships were just the start though, as each Remnant fighter suddenly turned and made a beeline straight for the nearest cruiser, dive bombing its shields and destroying itself against the shield, this kept up until the shields failed and the fighters could continue onto the ship itself. many of Cornerian cruisers were overwhelmed and succumbed to the suicidal attack. Before anybody could really react the Remnant ships had all been destroyed, and they most of the Cornerian blockade with them. The Destruction as so complete that all that was left, was the four Arwings, the Great Fox, a few fighters, and one struggling Cornerian Cruiser that was barely keeping in one piece.

Falco's voice was the first to come over the channel, it was sobered and quiet, something the bird was not known for. "Fo...Fox, what...what just happened? Did we cause that?"

Fox's reply was slow at best, and his voice matched his friends. "I...I don't...I don't know."

_**Dun Dun DUUUUNNNNN! Suspense and all that, well I hope anyway, so next up is my Ratchet and Clank Story, then Artemis Fowl, then I'll get another chapter for this one. That's just how I do a barrel roll. Anyway, to the fan who left a bunch of reviews on the last chapter, I'm sorry this took so long, and create an account so I can get in contact with you, or go to my profile page and hit me up on facebook, I will gladly respond to any questions you got.**_

_**EDIT 8/08/12-Made some changes to the ending to try and free up on confusion, fixed a bunch of mistakes about Krystals little rampage, so may want to give that another read, see if it might make more sense.  
><strong>_

_**Till next time,**_

_**Peace,**_

_**-Emile**_


	9. The Depth of Corruption

_**Alright, so, I kinda took a Hiatus from writing, mainly to play an unhealthy amount of Video Games, like Mass Effect and Borderlands 2 and what not. But, now I'm back, and I'm writing up a storm on my computer. So that's why I give you thirteen pages of The Re-Armed Conflict. Enjoy. Oh just so you know, this chapter it rather..."Talky" I guess, I'm covering a lot of ground with it though, so the next chapter should be plenty of action and what not if you're into that. If not, enjoy the Drama that I have woven below...**_

_**Star Fox: **_**The ReArmed Conflict**

_**Chapter 9:**_ **The Depth of Corruption.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>-<strong>_ | - Fox's Arwing - | - Orbit around Macbeth - | -

* * *

><p>Fox was still just staring out at the scene before him when Falco spoke "Fo...Fox, what...what just happened? Did we cause that?" His voice was quiet almost as if he was afraid the mere act of speaking would cause something else to happen.<p>

Fox's reply was slow at best, and his voice matched his friends. "I...I don't...I don't know." he stared out into the space before him. Where there had once been a Cornerian blockade of at least twenty-five Cruisers and their respective fighter contingents, there was nothing, just the wreckage that was what remained of the Cruisers. The disturbing thing was the lack of wreckage from the Remnant cargo ships. Aside from the one that the Great Fox has shot, the rest were just gone.

The ships hadn't been destroyed, they had been disintegrated. Some sort of charge that the pilots themselves had detonated after the first ship had gone down. They had taken many of the Cornerian fighters with them when they had exploded. Those that remained flew about in a random pattern as if the pilots couldn't quite take in the scene before them either. The one heavily damaged Cornerian Cruiser hung in space as a backdrop to the wreckage. Its engines flared every now and then, but otherwise the only sign of life came from the many holes that dominated its damaged frame still spitting out debris.

Fox looked down at his HUD and pinged the Great Fox, when Danielle's head appeared her face was drawn and she looked sick. She didn't say anything for a moment. "Fox." She gulped hard "That wasn't us? Was it?"

Fox glanced out into space once more before he looked back at Danielle and focused on his job "We'll figure that out later, I promise. First send out an open hail to the remaining Cruiser and ships. We need to get them help if they need it. That Cruiser has priority, it looks like its reactor is about to go."

Danielle nodded some part of her taking resolve from Fox. "I'll get on that, what about the fighters?"

Fox placed his hands back on his control sticks "Leave our main bay doors open and broadcast a message that they can land there. I'll take the squad around to the private bay in the back."

Danielle saluted and her face vanished from the HUD. Fox keyed up his teammates. "Guys, to the private hanger in the back. We'll land and check out the ships, then relaunch if needed. Slippy, I want you and Fay to start trying to figure out what happened. Falco and I will report to General Pepper. Krystal, I want you on crowd control down in the main hanger."

Fox heard two affirmatives but not a third from his fiance. He waited a moment "Krystal?"

When her reply came it was quiet "Fox...I...So many souls...I need to lay down."

Fox said nothing for a moment, factoring in what the loss of life was doing to Krystal. "Alright. Falco, you run support in the main bay then, I'll make a report to General Pepper."

The squad turned their ships to the rear docking bay and set about landing. As the fighters touched down, Fox popped his canopy and leaped out of the ship. Before he went to the bridge he walked over to Krystal's fighter. He watched as the rest of his squad all dismounted and went about their assigned tasks. Fox waited for a moment before he frowned and pulled himself up onto Krystal's wing. He reached over and tapped on her canopy and when nothing happened knocked loudly. Her canopy hissed and popped open and Fox put a foot on the edge of her cockpit and leaned in to look at her.

Krystal hadn't even removed her safety straps, she was just sitting in her cockpit, tears running down her muzzle as she sobbed quietly, her eyes screwed shut. Fox said nothing for a moment more but instead choice to lean in and put his paw on her shoulder. She leaned her head on his hand and stayed that way for a few moments before she spoke. "Fox, I Felt them...before...such malice, such hate, they knew what they were doing, and they were happy to do it. They were broadcasting such hate and rage that when they were gone taking the...those poor ships and all their...I feel...horrible...like something inside me has died."

Fox put his other paw on the side of her face and she opened her eyes "Do you need help?" he asked her.

She shook her head in response and went about slowly undoing herself from her seat. "No, I don't think so...maybe...right now I just want to sleep."

Fox nodded "Alright, I need to go make a report to General Pepper, can you make it to our room?"

Krystal nodded "I think so..."

Fox dropped down from the cockpit "If you need anything, just call for me on the bridge."

Krystal called out "Okay...Go."

Fox turned and walked back to his fighter, as he passed it, the cargo door under the front dropped open and Miyu tumbled out, landing ungracefully on her butt just a few feet away from Fox. As she stood up and brushed her outfit off she spotted Fox "Hey Fox what gives, give me a fighter and let me get some payback, I thought you would have known that."

Fox walked by her with a nod "Miyu, things have changed, follow me."

Miyu stiffed at the command in Fox's voice, he only did that when things were really _really_ bad. She jogged a few steps to catch up to him, then matched his pace walking along side him. "Whats up?" she asked as they entered the corridor to the elevator.

Fox was silent until they reached the elevator, after he hit the switch he turned to face her "Its bad Miyu, I don't really know where to start. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to tell General Pepper."

The two of them stepped into the elevator and as it moved upwards Miyu spoke up again "Fox, what happened? Tell me, because there is really not a lot of information flowing into your cargo bay on the  
>Arwing."<p>

The elevator doors opened and Miyu forgot about her questions as she got an eyeful of the new bridge. She followed Fox out slowly.

Fox meanwhile was already giving orders. "ROB, get me online with General Pepper!" Fox went over and sat down in his command seat. "Danielle, status?"

Miyu turned to face the bulldog that was sitting at a seat to the side, data rolling across the screen in front of her. She had a headset on over one ear and the other facing Fox "Early reports are coming in, confirmed 87% loss of life. Possibly more, Cruiser _Caynain _reports that her rector core is sitting at 12% and is in emergency shut down mode, crew loss stands at 64%, they are requesting sanctuary on board The Great Fox for their remaining fighters and crew. Still no reports on what explosives the Remnants used in the attack."

Fox nodded "Granted, we'll figure out how we'll bunk them later, right now get the ship and crew on board. Tell them to bring what ever supplies they can scavenge, we don't have too much on board right now."

Danielle nodded and lowered the microphone on her headset, she began talking to somebody else and Fox glanced over at ROB "General Pepper?" he asked.

ROB pressed a few more buttons "Connecting now, display on main screen?"

Fox turned to face the view screen on the front of the bridge "Yes." He sat up a little straighter as General Pepper appeared on the screen "Fox, I'm glad you contacted me, I'm getting a lot of strange reports out of Macbeth-"

Fox held up a paw "Sir, sorry to interrupt, but my team is here at Macbeth, we raided a Remnant base under the planet. Upon the destruction the base, a convoy of Remnant ships challenged your blockade in orbit. The Great Fox II offered to help and we were told to open fire on one of the cargo ships fleeing the planet. When we disabled the first ship the rest triggered some sort of explosives hidden inside them and...sir...There are a lot of casualties out here. I don't how many ships you had out here, but there is only a handful of fighters and one heavily damaged cruiser left."

General Pepper was quiet for a few minutes, finally he spoke up "I see, I just recived a report similar to yours." Pepper glanced down at something off screen "Fox, I need your help."

Fox nodded "Sir, we're already working on housing the damaged fighters and getting the crew off the cruiser, if you have a place you would like us to take them let me know."

Pepper nodded "The nearest base that I would trust to handle the influx of crew would be the new base we just built on Katina, can you get the survivors there?"

Fox looked over an Danielle who gave him a thumbs up "Yes sir, we will get as many as we can. Are there going to be any forces to meet us?"

Pepper nodded once more "I'll dispatch Whiskey Squad with a clean up crew to see what they can find and to pick up any stragglers you may miss. You can use the warp gate that we'll open to get to Katina to drop off the survivors. Do you have any drop ships on that dreadnaught yet?"

Fox shook his head "Negative sir, does the new base have any?"

Pepper glanced off screen again "Yes. I'll send word to the base now to get ready." Pepper paused "Fox, is there anybody on the bridge with you?"

Fox glanced around "Just ROB, Danielle, and Miyu."

Pepper straightened "Miyu?"

Miyu stepped forward "DCO Miyu Lynx reporting sir."

Pepper stared at her for a moment before turning his gaze to Fox "Explain."

Fox glanced at Miyu "I thought you knew, Fay joined our crew on the last mission you sent us to. She said she was undercover, and that she needed our help to rescue Miyu Lynx and Fara Phoenix. Sir, I assumed that you knew about this."

Pepper shook his head "I did not. Fox, you have my gratitude for a great many things but you may have just ruined a long term plan."

Miyu spoke up "Sir, if Fay and Fox hadn't broken my cover I would be dead anyway, somehow the Remnants found out about us. I wasn't aware until Fay and Fox showed up in a rescue that all of our covers had been blown. I thought it had just been me."

Pepper was silent "What about DCO Fara Phoenix?"

Miyu shook her head "They moved her some time ago sir, I have no idea where she is. Shortly after they transferred her to another base they came for me."

Pepper glanced down "That's troubling news indeed." he raised his gaze to Fox again "Fox, I know I no longer have any command over you, but I want you to stick around Katina for a few weeks."

Fox nodded "We can do that sir, It'll give us some time to work on the minor things the Great Fox II still has. Is there a reason for us to stick around that I should know about?"

Pepper shook his head "Not now Fox, just trust me on this."

Fox only paused for a moment before nodding his head "You have my word General."

Pepper nodded once before he cut the line.

Danielle stood up from her chair and came over to Fox "Fox, we got the fighters on board, the cruiser has requested our help in gathering escape pods but otherwise they are sending over the surviving crew on two drop shuttles."

Fox nodded "ROB, open a line to the main landing bay, I need Falco." they waited for a few minutes before ROB gestured to the main screen.

Fox turned to face the main screen as Falco's face appeared "Fox, whats up, you got any news?"

Fox gestured "In a moment buddy, first I need to know if there's room down there for two drop ships."

Falco glanced up "Give me one sec man." he vanished from view for a few moments "Maybe in a few hours, everything is kinda crazy right now. Most of the fighters got damaged by shock waves and had trouble even landing correctly. Its a mess."

Fox nodded "Alright, I made a report to General Pepper and we're heading to Katina to drop off the wounded at the new base there. I need to land those drop ships though, they have wounded."

Falco put a hand on his beak "If we moved the Arwings in the private landing bay to the side there should be room for a few drop ships."

Fox thought about it for a moment "Alright, we'll go with that. Falco before I let you go back to that mess, I got a question."

Falco glanced to the side with a frown as some shouts made themselves heard over the link "Make it quick Foxy."

Fox glanced at Miyu "Do you know anything that could have destroyed those Remnant ships so thoroughly? Explosives, weapons, anything?"

Falco glanced back at him "Maybe, but none that would be available in the quarantines needed to wreck all this."

Fox nodded "Alright, you keep thinking on that. I'll see about getting the bay cleared."

Falco nodded and the link closed, Fox stood up and walked over to Danielle "Tell those shuttles to head to the bay in the back. After that pay attention for that warp gate, as soon as its open and we got those shuttles loaded and the doors closed, take us through."

Danielle nodded "Yes sir, Anything else?"

Fox paused and put a hand on her shoulder "Thank you."

Danielle nodded again and turned back to her screen. Fox turned to face Miyu. "Care to help me move the Arwings?"

Miyu nodded and led the way to the elevator, as they stepped in Miyu turned to face him "Fox, I wanted to tell you what was going to hap-"

Fox raised his paw "Save it Miyu, I've already heard the run around from Fay, we got more important things to work on at the moment."

Miyu frowned "Fay gave you the run around? I figured she would trust you of all people."

Fox was staring straight ahead at the doors "She hasn't really brokered a lot of trust since her return from the dead."

Miyu looked down at the floor "Oh dear, I was hoping it was all part of an act."

Fox turned to face her "What act?"

Miyu looked back up at him "After we went undercover, Fay grew...distant, I was hoping it was part of an act for her cover. Because seeing her acting cold and emotionless as she did what she was told no matter what, well, it kinda scared me."

Fox said nothing but turned back to the doors, after a moment staring though he spoke up "So if I asked you a question you would actually answer it?"

Miyu shrugged as the doors opened and they walked out "Depends, some of it I can't just because of orders, but most of it I would gladly share. I never chose the one person I was allowed to tell."

Fox stopped in front of his Arwing. "What?"

Miyu stopped what she was doing, everything finally clicking "Oh damn, damn damn. I don't suppose you'll forget that?"

Fox looked at the ground for a moment "Forgotten. Lets get these moved." with that he hopped up into his Arwing and started up the systems, and moving the ship to the side of the slightly smaller hanger. Miyu was doing the same with another Arwing.

After they parked those two they moved towards the last two, Fox leaped up to Krystal's cockpit and almost fell out when he saw that it was still occupied. He managed to keep his balance on the edge of the ship and looked down at his fiance. "Well at least she got her sleep." he muttered to himself as he watched her doze in her cockpit.

He reached down and poked her gently, she awoke instantly with a startled look. She glanced up into his face "Fox?"

Fox laughed gently "So much for making it to our room."

Krystal glanced down at the cockpit as if she was surprised to find herself there. "I thought I did. Huh, must of dreamed it."

Fox shook his head "You feeling up to moving your Arwing for me? We got to make room for some drop ships."

Krystal nodded "Sure sure."

Miyu meanwhile had already moved the other Awing and was walking over to them "Whats the hold up Fox?"

Fox glanced down at her before he dropped off the side "Still occupied." he said as Krystal leaned out of the cockpit and gave a wave.

The two of them moved towards the control room as Krystal moved her Arwing. When they reached it and stepped inside Miyu turned to Fox. "So...are you two..." Miyu made a waving motion with her hands.

Fox raised an eyebrow at her before he smiled "Together? Yes we are, were planning on getting married soon."

Miyu nodded her head as Krystal dropped out of her cockpit and ran over to them. "I see."

Before Fox could ask what Krystal came in and closed the door behind her. "Arwings secured against the side." she said as she turned to face them.

Fox turned to the control panel and called up a connection to the bridge "Danielle, where are those two drop ships?"

Danielle's face appeared on the screen "Waiting for the all clear to enter the landing bay."

Fox nodded "Clearance granted, opening the doors now." Fox pressed a button then grabbed a lever and pushed it up. Outside the barrier field turned on and the heavy doors that kept the bay protected in a fight slowly opened to reveal two boxy Cornerian drop ships. The trio in the control room watched as the ships entered and started landing. Fox waited a moment before he slid the lever down and let the doors start to close.

He walked out of the control room and stood in front of the ships while he waited for the crew on to disembark. Krystal and Miyu following him. As they stood on either side of him Krystal spoke up. "I sense pain, wounded?"

Fox glanced at her "From the cruiser, that one that survived."

The doors on the drop ships opened and a couple of men came down the stairs escorting a tall brown hare in a commanders uniform. He stopped in front of Fox and saluted him, Fox returned the salute more out of habit then anything. "Commander..."

The hare lowered his arm "Char. Of the Cornerian cruiser _Caynain. _You must be Fox McCloud." Char held out his hand "Pleasure to meet you, I wish we had more time to talk but..."

Fox spoke as he shook Char's hand "I understand Commander. We'll get those that need critical care to our med bay and get them strapped down. There's a warp gate that's going to be opening that will let us out at Katina. We'll get your guys offloaded and into proper care there."

Char seemed to sag a little "I'm glad you got this all planned out, after what happened out there...I find myself at a little bit of a loss to be truthful. I don't suppose you know what happened?"

Fox glanced at Miyu as he turned towards the hallway and they started walking towards the elevator. "I'm hoping to get more information myself Commander, right now all I can do is guess that it was some sort of Remnant contingency: suicide and take as many as you can with you."

Char glanced at Fox "Those were the Remnants? I was expecting a ragtag terrorist group. Those ships flew like combat veterans." Char and Fox stood to the side of the open elevator while Miyu and Krystal moved inside to help with the injured that were just now following them down the hallway.

After the last load of injured got onto the elevator and the doors closed Fox glanced back down towards the docking bay "Is that it Commander? Last I checked Cruisers had a crew of almost four hundred. There couldn't have been more then fifty people who followed you off."

Char sighed and shook his head "All gone. One of the suicidal ships hit a critical control junction on the ship. Stopped blast doors from closing all over due to a system overload. Most of my crew was killed by exposure to the pressure change. The rest, I can just hope made it out on the escape pods"

Fox was silent for a moment "I'm sorry Commander, that...that can't be easy."

Char shook his head as the elevator doors opened and the two stepped on. "Its not." he said softly as Fox pushed the button for the bridge. The rest of the elevator ride was taken in silence. When they stepped out onto the bridge Fox gestured for Char to take his seat in the middle of the bridge. Char smiled and shook his head "No thank you Fox, I won't take the chair of one of the most famous pilots in Lylat. I'll stand here."

Fox shrugged his shoulders and sat down in his seat. "Danielle, have we gotten that warp gate yet?"

Danielle shook her head "Not yet sir, Macbeth never had a proper gate set up, so the operators at Katina need to start from scratch to set up the gate. Every time I ask on progress I get a 'very complicated' answer in return."

Fox shook his head and turned towards ROB "ROB, any report on our sweep for survivors?"

ROB was clicking away at his station "I have fourteen emergency beacon signals in the debris field. There are also twenty five escape pod signals."

Fox glanced at Char "Make a note of their position and chart any movements, we may lack the ability to safely retrieve them, but we can make it easy on the Katina forces." he turned back to ROB "How about the fighters that still have power, have we gotten all of them?"

"All fighters that we can detect have been stored in the main landing bay. Falco is requesting permission to close the main doors."

Fox nodded and turned back to the main screen "Granted."

Char tapped Fox on the shoulder "For somebody who usually tries to avoid all military presences, you seem to have no trouble allowing us on, and I notice you have a Cornerian engineer who appears to be working communications."

Fox smiled "Long story."

Danielle turned to face them. "Gate opening in Five."

Fox nodded his thanks, then he keyed a button on his armrest. "Attention guests of the Great Fox, we're about to pass through a warp gate to Katina, the exit last time was a little bit rough so I suggest that you all find something to hold onto."

Fox sat back in his seat and held onto his armrests while Char rested his hands across the back of the seat. Out in space the gate suddenly flared into life. A few moments later four Arwings flew through, followed shortly by two medical and two salvage ships. An incoming radio alert appeared and Fox nodded at Danielle to answer it.

"_This is First Flight Leader Corporal Typhon, I assume I'm talking to a friendly."_

Fox smiled to himself "Corporal, I'm friendly as long as you don't want that rematch right now."

There was a pause _"Captain Fox, I didn't realize that was the Great Fox, you just showed up on my scanners now with ID."_

Fox looked over at ROB and nodded "Corporal, We're sending you some date from all the people we couldn't get on board, drifting patterns, flight paths and locations of beacons. Make sure it gets to your rescue squad."

"_Will do."_

Fox returned his gaze to the gate "Is there anybody else coming through the gate after you?"

"_Negative."_

"Then I'll see you on the other side." with that Fox closed the channel and turned back to ROB "ROB, take us through the gate."

ROB nodded and the Great Fox shuddered slightly as its engines blasted into life and sent the Great Fox towards the gate. As they passed through the gate, them same shaking that happened last time repeated itself but it was just as quickly balanced out once they were through. A video alert appeared on the main screen as the ship fully left the gate behind. Fox called out behind him "ROB, set us in an orbit around the planet, General Pepper wants us to hang around for a while." Fox nodded to Danielle to accept the call and smiled when Bills face appeared again.

"Fox I've been hearing some bad rumors surrounding Macbeth. Any of it true?"

Fox felt the smile slide off his face "Well if the rumors include the loss of a full Cornerian blockade and ship, and a massive loss of life, then yes, they are true."

Bill sighed "Damn it. We're about to get plunged into the thick of it again aren't we?"

Fox nodded "Seems that way, I would say it'll be just like old times, but old times never got this bad."

Bill glanced off to the side as somebody handed him something. "Yea," he paused as he looked at the data pad "Hey, Fox, my sensors tell me that you're entering a staying orbit, you sticking around?"

Fox stood up out of his chair. "General Pepper has asked us to stick around for a few weeks, do you mind?"

Bill shook his head "Not at all. Might be nice to catch up. Do you need room down in the base?"

Fox held up a hand "No, we'll stay on the Great Fox, but I do have a bunch of survivors that are to be moved down to what I believe is Whiskey Base. Bill, I'm going to need some help getting them off my ship, I don't have a lot of salvage and medical transport ships."

Bill glanced off to the side and waved an arm at somebody "I'll get right on it Fox. Anything else?"

Fox shook his head "Not that I can think of, I might pop down in a few days for a visit though." Fox grinned and glanced over at Danielle. "I think I'll bring a few guests with me if you don't mind."

Bill smiled "Nah bring as many as you want, we'll make it a party."

Fox nodded and closed the channel, then he turned to Char "Well, Commander, shall we get your men and ships ready for transport?"

Char nodded and turned towards the elevator "Gladly."

* * *

><p>- | - Katina - | - Two weeks later - | -<p>

* * *

><p>Fox and Krystal were walking side by side through the halls of Whiskey Base. Bill had sent a message saying that he needed to see Fox in his office straight away. Falco and Slippy were out having their rematch with First Flight, Fay and Miyu were with the two of them, serving as subs for the vulpine and vixen in the fight.<p>

As the two walked down the hall Krystal tucked her arms behind her back "So what do you think is so important that Bill needed us for?"

Fox shrugged his shoulders "Not really sure, but he asked us to come in our flight suits, so I guess it must be something important." he sighed "Which rules us out catching up, damn I wish I hadn't been so busy with the Great Fox."

Krystal nudged him with her shoulder "Its not like you had a lot of choice."

The two of them stopped outside Bills office door and Fox reached out and knocked. The door was opened almost instantly by Bill himself, who waved Fox and Krystal in. As they walked in Fox shot Bill a look who pointed discretely at his desk. Fox turned his head and stiffened slightly as Bill closed his door. He put his hand up in a salute "General Pepper, I had no idea you were coming here."

From behind the couple Fox heard Bill mutter "Neither did I."

General Pepper looked up from some paper work on his desk. "Fox, at ease, sit down, the both of you."

As Fox and Krystal sat down Bill raised a hand "Do I need to leave sir?"

Pepper shook his head "No, you already in the middle of this since we're using this base, you might as well hear whats been going on. Beside some of this will be of importance to you."

Bill nodded and pulled another chair around behind Fox and Krystal. General Pepper was silent for a moment before he sighed and looked at Bill "Your Office is sound proof correct, nobody can hear us?"

Bill shook his head "Yes sir, Nobody outside can here us."

Pepper nodded "Good, what I have to say is for you three only at the moment, I fear you are the only ones I can trust."

Fox narrowed his eyes "Sir?"

Pepper sighed again "Fox, until you got in contact with me a few weeks ago, I had no idea that we had a Cornerian blockade around Macbeth."

Fox sat forward "Sir, how could you not know, you're the General over all Cornerian Military forces."

Pepper glanced down at his paper work "That is what troubles me the most Fox, I've been buried in meetings and dealing with a bureaucratic nightmare for the past few months, that's why I hired you to look into Fortuna for me. I was having trouble even getting time to sleep let alone order an investigation that would need to check in with me for everything."

Krystal nodded "So, you hired us and let us lose knowing that we would get results and hopefully not make a mess of things."

Fox glanced at her "Well, we kinda failed at that last part."

Pepper nodded "That's one of the reasons I wanted you to stick around here for a while. You see ever since you started causing a ruckus with this Remnant group, I've found that my paper work and bureaucratic burying seems to have lessened. Leading up to this...attack...from Macbeth, I was almost able to look into investigating them with the full might of the military behind me."

Fox glanced at Krystal again "What about now?"

Pepper leaned back in his chair "Right now, most of my aids think I'm taking a sick week at my house and are funneling any requests to a message box and any paper work to my desk."

Bill chose to speak up "Sir, stop me at any time, but...are you suggesting the Remnants, who ever the hell they are, have infiltrated the Cornerian Military, even all the way up to Command?"

Fox and Krystal shot each other another look, one that Pepper caught "What is it you two?"

Fox blinked "Well sir, like I told you when I last contacted you we had a couple of your DCO agents on board. One of them, DCO Fay Spaniel," Krystal saw Bill stiffen slightly at the name "told me that the Remnants wouldn't allow the Corneria Military to attack them. She said that they had corrupted the chain of command and that any move against them would cause the government to fragment and collapse."

Pepper was silent for a moment "I'm afraid to say that I think she might be right."

Fox gulped "That is, a troubling thought sir. Do you have any idea how to fix it?"

Pepper shook his head "I really don't, not right now, they have effectively tied my hands at all angles, it appears my only way of striking at them is you and your team."

Fox nodded "We'll help in anyway we can."

Pepper smiled sadly "I know you will, but this time I'm afraid even you might not be able to save Lylat." Pepper straightened "Before I get sidetracked though, where are my DCO agents?"

Krystal spoke up "Before we went to Macbeth, we came here to help Bill with some training of his flights, one flight wanted a rematch, that rematch was set for today, but when we got Bills message we sent Miyu and Fay in our place."

Pepper nodded he looked behind the couple at Bill "You authorized all this?"

Bill nodded "Yes sir...Sir...I sent the request to you and got a confirmation written in your own hand."

Pepper frowned "I would have remembered something like that coming across my desk. Another sign I'll take it."

Fox spoke up "Sir, with your permission I would like to go search the Sargasso Region."

Pepper turned his focus back to Fox "Sargasso? Wolf O'Donnell?"

Fox nodded "Yes sir, I think he might know something about whats going on. I ran into him on Fortuna, I mentioned it briefly in my report to you, but I'm assuming you didn't get the entire report at this point either." Pepper shook his head and Fox continued "Anyway, after everything that has happened recently, some of the things he said to me, make me think he might know whats going on right now."

Pepper was silent for a moment "Granted, track him down and see what you can find out, and if you can find out anything about his ship and what his goals are. From this moment on, I don't want any reports from you sent through our usual channels, you bring them straight to me in person, I think its the only way to guarantee that I get them." He paused in thought "Also have my DCO agents report in will you?"

Fox nodded and he and Krystal stood up "Yes sir. I'll get my team ready and we'll ship out as soon as we can."

Bill stood up as well. "Sir, I may not be able to fully vouch for this base, but I can vouch for all the pilots under my personal command. If there is anyway I can help, I request those orders now."

General Pepper was quiet for a few minutes while he thought. Fox and Krystal weer just about to leave when he spoke. "Fox, just how much room do you have on that new ship of yours again?"

Fox looked surprised but answered the question "Quite a bit sir, why?"

Pepper smiled "Because, I think that I need to assign a 'guard' to make sure that you are not causing any more trouble in the system. Things like exploring the Sargasso Region against any orders I may have given."

Fox looked at Bill who was grinning "I got room for five ships and their pilots."

Bill felt his grin widen a bit more "I think I know the five pilots that I would suggest for this guard duty sir."

Pepper was smiling as well "Very well, see to it that they get on the Great Fox before it leave orbit."

Bill saluted "Yes sir."

Pepper returned the salute "Dismissed. All of you."

The three of them walked out of the office and started down the halls. Fox noticed that Krystal was rubbing her head. He touched her shoulder "Anything wrong?"

Krystal shook her head "No, just these headaches I've been having for the past few weeks."

Fox frowned "Anything I can help with?"

Krystal shook her head again. "No."

Fox was silent for a moment more "Do me a favor then and head back up to the Great Fox, and get Falco and Slippy back in, then pass on Peppers orders to Miyu and Fay. I need to get some things arranged with Bill." Krystal nodded and headed for the hanger while Bill and Fox made for the barracks.

As they entered Bill turned to Fox "So two things, I'm coming, and I'm bring First Flight."

Fox nodded "And two?"

Bill frowned "Fay and Miyu, you don't mean..."

Fox frowned in return "I do, they apparently faked their deaths to go undercover."

Bill shook his head and paused for a moment "Fox, what about-"

Fox turned his gaze away "Fara is still MIA, she got moved some time ago and neither Fay or Miyu know where."

Bill placed a hand on Fox shoulder "I'm sorry buddy. I know what that means for you."

Fox nodded "Thanks Bill."

Bill grinned "Although, I guess it doesn't matter as much anymore." Fox looked at his friend with confusion "I've been hearing some interesting rumors from when Falco and Slippy came down, about you and a blue furred vixen..."

Fox smiled "Yea, Falco already has the best man position called, but I still want you there."

Bill moved his hand down to shake Fox's "Its a deal." Bill glanced over his shoulder "Alright, I've got some things to take care of before I leave here, and you need to get back to the Great Fox I'm sure."

Fox nodded "I'll see you there."

* * *

><p>- | - Great Fox II - | - Katina Orbit - | -<p>

* * *

><p>When Fox landed his Arwing inside the main landing bay he was aware of the small shuttle that was sitting there. As he leaped out he found Falco coming down the ramp. "Hey Falco, whats going on here?"<p>

Falco gestured at the shuttle "Our temporary engineers are leaving, called back to their base it seems."

Fox tsked "That sucks, I was just getting used to seeing them around." he looked around "Shall we go see them off?"

Falco nodded and the two headed for the engine room, when they reached it, Fox hit the switch to open the door. As the door slid up they were greeted with an angry looking Saz who stormed out while shooting them both dark looks. Fox and Falco watched him go before looking at each other then looking into the engine room. Falco walked in first "Hey, anybody know what ruined Saz's litter box? He looked like he was ready to kill us."

Danielle and Xena looked at them, Danielle was the one who stepped forward "He didn't agree with our plans."

Fox had glanced behind him, but at Danielle's words he turned around "What plans?"

"To turn over the TCO title to somebody who deserve it and resign our military agreements."

Falco shot Fox a look before he spoke up "That's a big step girls, what were you hoping to do instead?"

Danielle was quiet for a moment "Serving on the Great Fox II"

This time when Falco turned his gaze to Fox, Fox was instead watching the two engineers in front of him. Danielle dropped her gaze to the floor to avoid Fox's stare. After a minute he spoke "What prompted this?"

Danielle shrugged "I'm not sure sir, I just feel like I want a change, and I think the Great Fox is a great fit."

Fox looked at Falco who just frowned before he spoke. "I'm sure Slip could use the help, the Great Fox did pretty much double in size."

Xena spoke up "It was Slippy that gave us the idea, he mentioned that was was going to miss us when we left, we helped quite a bit with his work load."

Fox nodded "You realize that you're leaving the Military to become Mercenaries, that's usually not seen in a good light."

Danielle nodded, as did Xena" We know Sir, but something has felt off with the Military of late, I think if it wasn't Star Fox, it would be some other group."

Fox nodded "Well, I would love too, but..." Danielle's face fell "You got to stop calling me 'Sir' before I'll let you join, none of my team calls me that, neither will you."

Danielle looked surprised "So, you mean...?"

Fox held out a hand "Welcome to Star Fox, that is if you get clearance from the Military of course."

Danielle and Xena shared a look before grinning and taking turns shaking the hands of both Falco and Fox. "Thank you, si-Thank you Fox." Danielle spoke up as they stepped apart "We better go get that finalized with the Military then."

The two walked towards the exit and Falco called out "Finalized?"

Danielle turned around but kept walking. "Like I said, if it wasn't Star Fox, it would have been some other group." with that her and Xena rounded the corner of the door and vanished. Falco turned to Fox "You sure that was a good idea then?"

Fox looked at his friend "I guess we'll find out." the two of them headed for the door as well "Falco, we got a new job from Pepper, I'll fill you in on the detail later with Slippy. But for now just know that were going to Sargasso, and Bill and First Flight are coming with us."

Falco nodded "Alright, I get to kick Leon's butt again."

Fox raised an eyebrow "How do you know we're going after Wolf?"

Falco laughed "Fox, its Sargasso, who else would we be after?"

* * *

><p>- | - Sargasso Region - | - Wolfs Paw - | - Wolf O'Donnell's office - | -<p>

* * *

><p>Wolf was pacing his office, it was almost time for another report from his contact, and his contact was over two hours late. Wolf growled softly to himself, every day that passed, he was starting to regret taking this job, just a little bit more. But it was either this or surrender his ship to the Cornerian Military in hopes of sanctuary there, and Wolf would rather die before that. His computer finally beeped and a holographic projector clicked on, spraying out millions of cubes with revolved into the form of his contact.<p>

"You're late! Again!" Wolf spat out as he sat at his desk.

Saz Melign, his contact inside the Cornerian Military, cringed on his end of the projection "Sorry Boss. Nothing I could about it."

Wolf sighed "What happened this time?"

Saz frowned "I've been removed from the Great Fox II."

Wolf sat up "What?"

Saz nodded "If confused me too sir, I was told at the start that I was to remain on the Great Fox II at all costs, and now I've been removed. I just got back to barracks this morning."

Wolf growled again "Great, now I've lost any information I could have gotten."

Saz cleared his throat "I'm not so sure Boss. When I got back, as I was unpacking I realized that somebody had been through my bag. My Scanner was missing and there was a sealed data device with a note that said 'send to O' Donnell' on it."

Wolf looked at his computer to see that it was awaiting a transfer request "Have you looked at the files?"

Saz shook his head "I can't sir, I think they are locked until you open them somehow."

Wolf frowned before tapping the accept key. "Alright Melign, you stay there, and go about your business as usual, I let you know if your orders change."

Saz nodded "Yes Boss." Saz's form broke into cubes again before they vanished from sight. Wolf was already back to paying attention to the data he was receiving. When it was complete he found that the files had automatically decrypted themselves on his computer. He clicked on the files and realized that the files were a chat program. It wasn't long before he received a message.

"_Mr. O'Donnell, I have removed your operative from the Great Fox as I have my own means in now. For now, continue with your orders same as before. You are also to be on the lookout for a visit from Fox McCloud and his team. They have been sent out to find you and to see what you know._

_If they do find you, make sure that the rest of your operations remain secret, no matter the cost. Your pay will be just as generous as usual."_

Wolf stared at the message for a moment before he typed a response _"Very well, on one condition. I make it a deal to never do business with out knowing the other parties names. Give me yours or I walk to the Cornerian Military, and there's nothing that you could do to stop me."_

There was such a long pause before a response that when it came, Wolf was on the verge of ordering his ship to alert for an attack. When it came and Wolf read it, he found himself frowning in confusion. The name was obviously fake, but it was something to go on at least.

"_Very well Mr. O'Donnell, you may call me...Kursed."_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Mwa Ha Ha Ha...<strong>_

_**Oops...Evil laughter comes later, right. Anyway, there you go, I leave you all to take that where you will, and I'm sure people who know the lore of Star Fox will be wondering what I'm drinking and or Smoking, but trust me, it will all make sense in the end. I promise. Also I told you First Flight would return! As usual if you spot any mistakes, please let me know, how else will I improve?**_

_**Just a few quick notes for your information. First off, I'll be moving onto my Ratchet and Clank work next, and I will be finishing it before I move onto anything else. So if any of you read Earth Bound. It will be finished within the next few months hopefully. After that I can focus on this story and my Artemis Fowl one. So neat news for Progress!**_

_**Also serious question here, how many of you would be willing to read actual fiction by me? You know the things that I make up that come purely from my mind. Let me know in a review or PM.**_

_**Edit 11/01/12 - Updated my Profile page with the bios of the OC's I plan on keeping around in the story, go check it out if you want to get some background information on them!  
><strong>_

_**Well that's that,**_

_**Till next time,**_

_**Peace,**_

_**-Emile.**_


	10. O'Donnell

_**Well, it has been a while hasn't it? Sorry about that, Finishing Earth Bound took a bit longer then I thought, then I got inspired to do another Star Fox fic, as some of you may know. If you don't you should go hit my profile page and check out Star Fox: The Dead Planet. I think its currently some of my best work. But of course, you came here to read ReArmed Conflict, so I'll just leave you to that, enjoy...**_

* * *

><p>- | - <strong>SF War Saga:<strong> _The ReArmed Conflict _- | -**Chapter 10: **_O'Donnell - | -_

* * *

><p>The dark room was lavishly decorated with only the finest sheets and covers for the large bed in the center of the room. Two lumps could be made out in the gloom, the gentle rising of the covers over them showing that the two beings were sleeping peacefully. In one corner of the room sat a lavish desk, made of beautifully polished oak and edged with gold, the monogram in the center of the desk let all who saw know that this desk belonged to Panther Caroso.<p>

The infamous black panther sat behind his desk currently, a frown evident on his face. He had been pulled from his slumber by an alert from his computer, and after throwing on some silk pajamas, he found himself staring into the dull glow of the screen in front of him. He read the words again, wondering if this might be a trap of some sort.

The words kept blinking at him for the chat request with the tag line of 'offer' flashing next to it.

After a few more minutes of thought Panther reached out and touched the accept button on the screen. A chat window popped up, and a moment later the words 'encrypting' appeared. They faded to be replaced with 'encrypted' and a message immediately popped up.

Panther read through the text then snorted softly.

"_You've kept me waiting for a long time Caroso, I hope I didn't interrupt your beauty sleep."_

Panther was quick to respond _"Caroso does not apologize for the delay. What do you expect when you contact him at-" _Panther paused to check the time "_-0550. Now, who are you, and how did your chat program get onto Caroso's computer?"_

"_God you do refer to yourself in the third person. How...amusing. Still, I'm in need of your services. Price is no matter, but once I tell you what the job is, well, I think you might not charge me that much."_

Panther leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowed while he thought, he leaned forward to type his reply. _"Caroso will listen to your offer, if it does not...amuse me. There is no safe place you can hide from Caroso for this breach of Legion security."_

"_Save your threats Caroso, we both know they're empty. Besides, my offer is simple..."_

Panther watched the screen and when the next message appeared he grinned. He was quick to type out a response. _"Very well, Caroso accepts, the Legion will do as you ask. Free of charge."_

"_Good. One last thing, make sure you play the file I'm sending you at some point. Its imperative that you make sure he hears this."_

Panther tapped on the accept button for the file transfer then typed out a response. _"When would you like the Legion to strike?"_

"_Whenever is suits you, there is a tracking data in the files I sent you. You'll always be able to find the base now."_

Panther glanced over at his bed where one of the forms was moving, he watched the tousled head of one of his lieutenants pop out from under the covers and blink at him sleepily. He grinned before turning back to the computer. _"Do not worry, Caroso always completes his mission, and with the Legion behind him, he can not fail."_

The connection closed suddenly and his computer shut off. Panther narrowed his eyes as he stood up and moved around the desk. He leaned back against the wood and let his mind drift in thought, trying to figure out all the ways this mission could play out, and what his benefactor stood to gain by all of it. He was distracted by the hand the snaked its way underneath his shirt and up his chest.

"Panther baby, come back to bed...I'm so cold without you..."

Panther grinned at his lieutenant, "In a moment my dear Chea, go keep Liae warm, and Caroso will join you shortly." Panther felt his grin grow wider when he heard Chea groan before walking away from him, her tail swinging through the air with her hips. Deciding that his thoughts on his new mission could wait a few more hours, Caroso followed the naked Chea back to his bed.

* * *

><p>- | - Three Weeks after the Macbeth Raid - | - Great Fox II - | - Main Landing Bay - | -<p>

* * *

><p>Fox was standing in the control room the overlooked the large bay in front of him. Just a few weeks ago it had been packed with the damaged ships from the Macbeth raid, and now, it was empty yet again, except for a few spare ships that the team kept here. But those ones were stored up in rigging on the side of the ship, locked down.<p>

Fox glanced down at the console in front of him as it started beeping for his attention. He reached out and pressed the button for the main doors, causing them to slide open to reveal the sleek black of space. The view stayed that way for a few minutes and Fox narrowed his eyes watching the stars, until he saw one that was moving.

It wasn't long before that moving star got bigger and turned into an Arwing III model, the latest version of Slippy's original design had been worked over by the Corneria Research and Development crews and they had made some changes to the original systems.

Much like the Arwing II model, the system featured four G-Diffuser engine systems now, but the military had also narrowed the nose and thinned out the overall profile of the ship. The ship expanded towards the back to make room for the twin laser system that was standard for the ship now, they had also used a new metal alloy that was a darker gray color then the original Arwing white. The overall changes were a faster and sleeker ship, the only downside being that there was less extra space inside the ship, and as such it could only hold two nova bombs.

Bills Arwing blasted by the hanger entrance performing a barrel roll as he did so. Fox got the brief glance of white and green that Bill favored before he shook his head. He turned around when he heard the door behind him open.

Danielle, no longer dressed in her worn black jumpsuit, she now wore a new one of the same color with the white Star Fox vest pulled over the top of it. Her brown tool belt hung from her waist, loosely hanging over her right hip from the weight of her tools. She had kept her ponytail, but instead of a black band holding it in place she had a white one that stood out against her fur and hair. She also had the ponytail drifting down to tuck into the back of jumpsuit instead of hanging free down her back. Running up the side of her head, was a small wire running into the earbud in her ear, and a small microphone was attached to her throat.

Fox gave her a nod as he turned back to the landing bay in time to watch Bills fighter drift through the atmosphere field and moved over to one of the empty docks along the side of the hanger to set his Arwing down in. Just as Bill finished shutting down his ship and had released the canopy to slid forward on its rails, two more Arwings flew into the ship, also mark III models. These ones were just standard white and quickly moved to landing docks so that the last two Arwings out in space could come in and land.

Fox glanced over at Danielle, a sly grin on his face. "So, do you think he'll recognize you?"

Danielle grinned before she snorted softly "I doubt it, I met him one a few years ago at a family reunion. I talked to him for all of five minutes? Mind you, this was just after the Lylat wars, so the Star Fox team had their faces plastered everywhere still. I don't really remember what it was, just that some sort of advertisement appeared in the skies above the park we were in, and all the pilots who were there paused and took a hat off to the picture there." She turned to Fox. "It was you, shaking hands with General Pepper. Bill waited till the advert moved on, then just spoke up. 'I flew with that guy, Fox McCloud, hell of a pilot.' Then he spent the rest of the party telling people about your help on Katina."

Fox chuckled softly "So, that's how you heard about me eh?"

Danielle gave a sharp nod. "It's true, I swear."

Fox glanced out the window to the stair case that led up to the control room. "Guess we're about to find out if he'll recognize you."

Danielle turned to face the door right as it slid open and Bill stepped through with a grin on his face. "Fox, I'm going to need a tour budd-" Bill stopped talking when he laid eyes on Danielle, confusion lighting his eyes for a moment. Then he snapped his fingers "Danielle Grey, damn, been a while."

Fox walked forward and mumbled into Danielle's ear as he passed her by. "Guess that answers that."

Bill raised an eyebrow "What was that?"

Fox just grinned and held out a hand "Nothing Bill, just conferring with my newest team member."

Bill turned his eyes to Danielle "You. Work for Star Fox now?" Bill turned to Fox again when Danielle nodded. "Guess you got a Grey on your team after all. Is she as amazing as me?"

Fox grinned "Well, she doesn't make an engine explode after she worked on it, if that's what you're asking."

Bill frowned and held up a finger. "One time! One! Time! Nobody ever lets me live that one down."

Fox just laughed "What can I say, it was a pretty big explosion."

Bill shook his head. "Fine, have your laughs, you want to at least show me to where I can stick my things after I unpack? I was lead to believe that there was extra rooms on this ship somewhere."

Fox nodded "Sure, lets just wait for your team to finish getting their stuff." Fox pointed out the window at first flight. "Unlike some people, they actually thought to grab their stuff."

Bill sighed "Is it too late to change my mind on this mission?"

Fox walked forward and threw an arm around Bill's shoulders. "Its way too late. Your stuck with me, I haven't had the chance to mess with you since the academy." Fox paused and grinned again. "Just wait until Falco starts in on you."

Bill covered his face with a paw groaning. "I'm too old for this."

This got a chuckle out of Fox and Danielle, just as the first flight pilots all crowded into the control room. While the room wasn't exactly small, seven people did take up most of the space. Fox turned to the doors. "If you would all follow me, I'll show you where the spare rooms are."

A short few minutes later, the group stepped off the elevator and onto the spare crew deck. Fox gestured grandly to the small hallway. "Welcome to Deck E, spare rooms for those who find themselves enamored with the Mercenary life of Star Fox." Fox glanced at Danielle "Like our newest engineer here." He focused on Danielle "Which rooms did you Xena take?

Danielle pointed to the two doors down at the end of the hallway. "Those two on the end there, across from one another."

Fox turned back to Bill "That leaves you all with six rooms to choose from. When you've chosen a room, just pressed your hand against the pad for three seconds. The scanner will register the room to you, and you can lock it after that."

Danielle suddenly put her hand to her throat where he microphone was. "I heard ya Slippy, Fox and I will be right up."

Fox glanced at her and she took her hand from her throat. "Slippy has a lead on O'Donnell, wants us on the bridge as soon as we're done here."

Bill pointed at the small wire running up her neck. "What's with the gear?"

Danielle grinned "I've kinda been turned into the communication officer here. Don't ask me how." she shrugged softly "It just kinda happened." she turned back to Fox "I'll head up now and meet you there when you're done."

Fox nodded and turned back to Bill who just pointed down the hallway. "Go on, tour can wait."

Fox grinned and turned with Danielle to head to the elevator and back up to the bridge. As the elevator doors slid closed, Bill turned to face first flight, all of whom were standing lined up along the wall, waiting for orders. Bill raised an eyebrow before he jerked a thumb down the hallway. "You heard the man, go choose a room. I need to go get my stuff from my fighter."

Typhon stepped forward "After that?"

Bill laughed softly "Relax Corporal, while we're with these guys we don't fly unless Fox says so. Think of this as a vacation of sorts, we're still military, but right now we're just flying from Fox's ship."

Typhon nodded "That would explain your dress then."

Bill grabbed his white t-shirt and glanced down at his blue jeans. "What, you meant these old things?" he asked, a small grin on his face. He released his own clothes and pointed at Typhon, dressed in his freshly ironed flight suit. "I hope you brought something other then changes of your flight suit Corporal."

Typhon glanced down at his white flight suit before he glanced down the hallway. "But sir, what about the mission to _watch_ Star Fox?"

Bill raised an eyebrow again. "You know Typhon, you need to learn to read between the lines sometimes. We're here to _help_ Star Fox track down O'Donnell, not the other way around."

Typhon blinked, confused "But our orders from General Pepper..."

Bill sighed "Corporal, you take your orders from me, I get them from the General, and trust me, I know what he wanted me to do here. If anybody asks, we're doing what our orders say on paper, watching Star Fox to make sure they are staying clean and out of Sargasso, but always remember, we're here to help them if they need it." Bill paused and waited a moment, then he snapped out one last word. "Clear?!"

First flight snapped to attention and saluted "Yes sir!"

Bill nodded. "Good, now go find a room, and if you need something to do when that's done, relax. I'll let you know if anything comes up. Dismissed." Bill turned back to the elevator while first flight glanced at one other before moving further down the hallway to choose rooms.

Back on the bridge Fox and Danielle were standing behind Slippy's chair as he called up sensor data for them to look at. "I got this from a friend of mine out at a popular jump point for the Sargasso region."

Fox nodded "What makes is so popular?"

Slippy called up some more scans. "The radiation has thinned in this area to form a small tube of sorts that leads into the cloud. If you know where you're going, its the easiest way in, there's even a small space station near the radiation hole to stop over for supplies and updated sensor data."

Fox studied the data in from of him "Makes sense, if we hadn't been tracking Pigma the last time we had been to Wolf's base, we never would have found him." Fox glanced back down at Slippy. "I take it that getting a scanner from one of Wolf men have failed so far?"

Slippy nodded "We've only managed to track down three of them so far on Katina, but every time I tried to copy the scanners frequency or the one time I tried to take it out of the ship, the system self destructs. Wolf has gotten really paranoid lately. That's why I think what I've got here is such a big find."

Danielle spoke up "And what is it that you have? I see the sensor data, but I don't get the significance of it."

Slippy pressed a few more buttons on the console in front of him, and a symbol appeared attached to the sensor date. "Does that help?"

Danielle shook her head, the black panther head and blades was unknown to her. "Not in the least."

Fox however let out a small gasp as he realized fully what he was looking at. "That is a lot of Legion ships. What the hell is Panther after with what looks like his entire fleet?" then he paused and slapped his own paw to his face. "Of course, Wolf." he looked at Slippy. "You think Panther knows where Wolf's base is at?"

Slippy nodded "I do, ever since his Legion was formed, Panther of course has been after Wolf whenever he thinks he has a chance."

Fox glanced back at the sensor data "Yeah, common knowledge."

Danielle raised an eyebrow "To you maybe, this is news to me."

Fox glanced at her with a grin. "Well, you better get used to learning more about what the other mercenary groups are up to. Always helps to known who is up to what." he turned back to Slippy. "So, since Panther seems to be using his entire fleet you think he knows where Wolfs base currently is?"

Slippy called up some older data "Not only do I think he knows where the base is, I think he has its constant coordinates."

Fox was looking at the old sensor data "How so?"

Slippy pointed out the number of ships. "Look at how many ships hes sending in on this raid a few months ago. Twenty at quick count to go after what I think at the time was one of Wolfs ships. Even then, he always sends the ships in groups of five to different points. But this time, he's sending all of his ships in mass to the same place."

Fox nodded "Okay, Lets roll with it. How old is the newest data?"

Slippy checked some thing on his smaller screen. "Only a few hours."

Fox glanced at his gauntlet "Alright, find us the nearest jump point and send the coordinates to ROB. Get us to that tunnel and we'll see if we can pick up on where exactly Panther is sending his guys."

Slippy nodded "I can do that, but I actually already have the coordinates that Panther is using from my friend. Katina is actually in a good place right now as well, we could jump from here and have a straight shot to his base." Slippy paused "Or be outgunned by the Legion."

Fox was silent for a moment. "Do it, but put us out a little ways off, we'll fly the rest in the Arwings. How long do you think it'll take to reach his base?"

Slippy typed at his console for a moment. "ETA is more of ROBs area, but I would guess twelve hours at least, and that would be using all of our extra fuel to power the warp drives."

Fox cursed softly "Damn it. How for is the jump from that radiation hole?"

Slippy did some more quick math. "About five hours depending on the size of the ship and the warp drive."

Fox thought for a moment. "We need to get there asap, I can't risk Panther destroying Wolfs base, or even worse, killing Wolf." he snapped his fingers and turned to Danielle. "I bet Bill is still in his fighter, want to page him for me?"

Danielle nodded and trotted over to her console, sitting down and calling up a line to Bills Arwing. Bill's surprised face appeared a few moments later on the big screen, Fox walked over to his chair to be picked up by the camera. "Fox, if you needed something, you could have just called me up to the bridge."

Fox glanced at Slippy before he answered "I could have, but time is of the essence right now. Can you get a gate opened to the Sargasso Hole station. It looks like somebody else is gunning for Wolf, and we don't have the fuel capacity to warp straight from Katina to get there in time."

Bill was thoughtful for a minute. "Sure, I'll get a gate open. Give me a few minutes."

Fox smiled "Thanks Bill, I owe you."

Bill reached forward to cut the connection. "Damn right you do." he said right before he vanished from Foxs screen. Fox turned back towards Slippy. "Alright, watch for the gate to appear, then have ROB take us through and start a warp. We should be arriving just after the Legion troops."

He turned to face Danielle. "Once the warp is underway, get everybody to the briefing room, Bill and First Flight included." Fox waited for Danielle to nod before he turned and left the bridge, heading for the briefing room to get everything set.

Fifteen minutes later found Bill walking into the briefing room and glancing around. Falco, Krystal, Slippy, Danielle and Xena were all sitting at the front of the table, closest to Fox who was standing at the head of the table. First Flight was arranged at the back of the table with two chairs between them and the nearest Star Fox member. Bill glanced at the space before he shook his head and sat down next to Typhon and glanced over the chair between him and Falco and gave the bird a nod.

Fox cleared his throat "Okay, we're all here then. So, We've been hired underneath the table by General Pepper to find Wolf O'Donnell and question him to see if he knows anything about the Remnants." Fox paused as Bill raised a paw. "Question Bill?"

Bill nodded "Yea, what the hell is a Remnant? I've heard rumors of the name, but you appear to know quite a bit more."

Fox nodded before he started speaking "We don't know a whole lot about them, just that they are very organized, super secretive, and highly skilled. What we do know about them, is that they used to be a part of Andross original army for the Lylat War, nobody knew about them when the war ended, so nothing was done to bring them in. Now though, they have grown and their influence has stretched all the way into Cornerian High Command."

Bill frowned, as did the rest of First Flight. "Okay, so what does O'Donnell have to do with them?"

Fox reached out and tapped on his data pad, sending the data to the big screen behind him. "When the team first encountered the Remnants, I ran into Wolf, and the way he spoke makes me think that he knows something about them. Pepper agrees with me and has hired Star Fox to track him down."

Fox tapped another button on his data pad "Unfortunately we have a bit of a race on our hands right now." The symbol for Panthers Legion popped up on the big screen with a picture of Panther next to it. "Caroso's Legion had recently deployed their entire armada out to the same place inside the Sargasso Region." Fox tapped another button "Now, Wolf keeps his main base moving inside the cloud constantly so there is no way to really track him, and Panther has been hunting for him for the past few months. To make a move this big, that leaves his own base exposed to attack, Slippy thinks it means he found a way to track Wolf. I agree with him."

Bill spoke up "So that's why you had me get a gate open for you. So we wouldn't be too far behind Panther?"

Fox nodded "Yeah, thanks again for that."

Bill smiled"You can pay me back by promising me that my team and I wont be staying behind with our thumbs up our asses when you guys launch at Wolfs Base." He paused and gestured with his chin at the screen behind Fox "That and telling me why Panther has such hate for Wolf? Last I checked, he flew with Star Wolf."

Fox glanced at Falco. "I won't lie, I'm glad you want to fly with us on this, if it was just Wolf and his crew, I wouldn't worry, but since we have to deal with Panther and his Legion as well, I'll take the extra help. As for why Panther hates Wolf, well it starts with that ship that Wolf has."

Bill snorted "You mean that ship that nobody has been able to get specs for, just stories?"

It was Falco's turn to nod "Yea, that ship."

Fox took over "Wolf was actually working for Corneria after the Aparoid War, serving in the same capacity we were, a quick response unit. Panther didn't agree to Wolfs plan." Fox paused and turned to his data pad. "Actually, I'll just show you."

A window opened on the screen behind Fox, who turned to face it, sitting down in a chair so as not to block the view.

* * *

><p><em>Wolf stood with his arms folded across his chest a ring of his ruffians around him. Panther stood a few paces away, both pilots were dressed in their flight suits and neither of them looked happy to be there. They were silent for a moment more before Wolf spoke up.<em>

"_You sure about this Caroso? I put up with a lot from you cause you're a good pilot. But after this, you're done."_

_Panther snarled quietly, his fists clenching. "Such confidence, Panther will be sure to boast to the system after he beats you."_

_Wolf jerked his head to the left side violently, the pop of his neck heard by the camera. He repeated the action to the right side before he reached up and grabbed his cybernetic headpiece. He took it off and tossed it to the side where Leon stood watching. Leon caught the device and tucked it into a large pocket._

_Wolf glanced over at the camera at that moment. "You make sure you upload this and let the whole system see what happens when you mess with O'Donnell." His empty eye socket stared out at the camera._

_Wolf turned back to Panther "I hope you provide a challenge Caroso, I even took my headgear off to give you an advantage."_

_Panther snorted, copying Wolfs pose and crossing his arms. "You took it off so that Panther would not break it when he's beating your face in."_

_Wolf shook his head "You know, I always hated that third person shit you did. At least one good thing will come of this. I won't have to listen to it anymore." Wolf dropped his arms and slid his right leg back, his fists coming up in a classic fighting stance. "Come on Caroso, if you've got the balls."_

_Panther snarled, louder this time and stalked towards Wolf, closing the distance quickly and starting the fight with a quick jab towards Wolfs face who blocked with right arm. Panther kept up the assault on Wolfs arms for a few minutes, even throwing in a few kicks for good measure. None of his blow hit, each one falling onto one of Wolfs arms or raised legs._

"_Coward!" Panther snarled five minutes into the fight. The next sound was Panther wheezing, as he doubled over Wolf's right fist. The impact lifting him slightly off the ground. Wolf backed away quickly leaving Panther to fall to his hands and knees gasping for breath._

"_You're calling me a coward, you're a damn assassin. You're the ultimate coward, always killing from a distance and dropping one of those stupid roses of yours on the body like you've done something to be proud of."_

_Panther glared up at Wolf as he recovered his breath, he stood up and shook out his arms. His eyes narrowed as he studied his opponent. Panther charged forward suddenly and landed a heavy blow on the side of Wolfs muzzle, causing the lupine to tilt his head to the right from the force of the impact. He stepped to the side, and kept his body turned away like he was stunned from the blow._

_Panther barked out some laughter. "Ha, you can't even take one of the Panthers blows with out-"_

_Panther never got to finish his sentence as Wolf popped up straight, his right fist coming up in a hard strike that not only caused Panther to tilt his head, but threw him bodily to the floor. The crack as he landed on his muzzle made a few of the guys standing around forming the ring wince._

"_You brag to much." Wolf said softly as Panther rolled to his side and gingerly felt his nose. "You didn't even think for a moment that I might have gone with the blow. That was a sting compared to what I just did to you."_

_Panther winced again as he felt his bent nose. "You have ruined Panthers face." he said quietly. _

_Wolf nodded "I did, and I'll ruin a whole lot more if you insist on continuing this fight. Last chance to back out cat."_

_Panther glared at Wolf and grabbed his muzzle in both his paws and grunted in pain as he forced it straight on his face again. "You'll pay for that!" Panther cried as he surged to his feet and began another series of brutal blows on the lupine, again none of them truly connecting with Wolf. They either got blocked or Wolf rolled with the impact, letting most of the force roll over him._

_This continued for another half an hour before Wolf growled and caught Panthers currently outstretched right arm in a grip with his own. When Panther brought up his left fist to strike at Wolf, he was met with Wolf's own left fist. He held Panthers fist for a moment before he twisted his left arm sharply, and the whole room heard it as Panthers wrist was snapped. The feline tried to back away from Wolf, but still had his arm trapped in a grab. Wolf brought his left fist around on Panthers arm and the snapping of Panthers upper arm was obvious again. Wolf released his grip on Panther who started backing away._

"_I'm done toying with you." he said softly as he snapped out a boot that caught Panther in his leg, dropping the feline to one leg. Wolf then proceeded to really fight, and Panther never stood a chance. He started by adding two more breaks to Panthers arm, both on the lower arm, then breaking three of his fingers when Panther managed to jerk the arm out of Wolfs grasp._

_He then grabbed Panthers left leg when he brought it up in a scything kick, and Wolf broke the knee cap before throwing Panthers leg up into the air causing the unbalanced feline to hit the deck plates on his back._

_Panther rolled over to try and get away, but Wolf caught him with his cybernetic arm. Lifting the feline to his feet. "No. You don't get to run from this." He said softly as he spun Panther around and punched him in the gut again, this time with his left fist. He actually lifted Panther a foot off the ground as Wolf put his full body behind the swing. He stepped back quickly to let Panthers limp body drop to the ground. Panther coughed up blood for a few minutes before he tried to roll away from Wolf one more time. Wolf let him, but when Panther tried to stand up and his left leg couldn't support his weight, Wolf darted forward again, shamming Panther with his left while striking him across the muzzle with his right again, knocking the broken nose to the side once more._

_Panther rolled with the punch and got a few feet away from Wolf, bracing himself half way on the ground. He looked up as Wolf stalked towards him. "Do you get it yet Caroso?" he started as he got closer "You never stood a chance, I was just humoring you this entire time." Wolf got to within a foot of Panther who was breathing heavily from his injuries including his broken ribs. Panther glared up at Wolf and brought up his left arm and managed to raise his middle finger at Wolfs face. Wolf lifted his lip in a snarl, quick as a flash he reached out and grabbed Panthers finger, twisting the fist to the side, and the sound of gyrating bones as his broken wrist was rotated was only particularly drowned out by Panthers groan of pain._

"_You can handle your pain, I'll give you that." Then Wolf snapped Panthers finger in three places by tightening his cybernetic fist over it. Panther groaned again and leaned his head down, right as Wolf brought his knee up into Panthers head. The felines head snapped back and his body flopped onto his back, his one good leg pinned underneath him as Panther finally succumbed to the pain and blacked out._

_Wolf snorted softly when Panther didn't move except for the rise and fall of his chest. He turned to the nearest ruffian. "Get this sack of meat to the med wing and make sure he doesn't die. I don't want him escaping that easily. After he can walk straight, throw him off my ship." Wolf turned to Leon and caught his headgear as the chameleon tossed it at him. Wolf quickly slipped it over his head and connected the headset again. He blinked a few times before he turned to face the camera. "Remember what I said, I want that video uploaded."_

* * *

><p>Fox closed the window on the screen and Bill whistled softly. "Wow, that was brutal."<p>

Falco nodded "Yea, and believe it or not, there was an hour of fighting from before the guy decided to record the rest of it."

Bill shook his hand "Damn, how did Panther walk away from that?"

Fox took over "The story goes that he laid unconscious in Wolf's med bay for almost a month, and then he just vanished during the night with his two of the Wolfens slaved to his own." Fox turned back to the screen where Panthers face still sat sneering. "Caroso's Legion formed not to long after that, small at first, but it quickly grew in size to rival Wolf's Ruffians. Since then he's always been out to destroy Wolf."

Bill studied the picture. "It doesn't look like he got beat to an inch of his life."

Falco snorted "Plastic surgery, I bet you anything. Panther loves his looks more then his life." Falco grinned "You know, there are not a whole a lot of high ranking males in the Legion, all females. I hear one of the requirements to be a lieutenant is to sleep with Panther."

Bill grinned at Falco "I wonder if any males have tried for lieutenant."

Falco chuckled at Bills comment before Fox shook his head and cleared his throat. "Right..anyway, thanks to Bill we are already in a warp heading for a small break in the radiation, just a few light years from where the Legion has been warping." Fox tapped a few more things on his data pad. "The current plan is to leave the Great Fox here with a few ships to stay as guard just in case the Legion or the Ruffians find it. Danielle and Xena will stay behind in charge of the ship, working in tandem with ROB if we need to any help." Fox paused "I was originally going to have Falco and Slippy hang back around the ship, but now that Bills volunteered his squad. I need two of First Flight to stay behind to serve as guards, while whoever remains of First Flight fly as a second team of three with the rest of Star Fox." Bill turned to face Typhon who looked at Ross and Roaj who both nodded. Typhon and Bill turned back to face Fox as he tapped a few more buttons and Panthers face vanished to be replaced with Wolf. "If he holds true to form, Wolf won't be able to resist not trying to take me out. Once hes out trying to take me down. Falco and Bill will land inside the base and try to find Wolf's office. The rest of the team will serve as guards outside, making sure that the Ruffians and the Legion most likely stay focused on them."

Fox paused, glancing up at the experienced fighters before him. "Any questions?"

Bill nodded and spoke up. "Just one, I don't think it would be wise to have Cornerian Arwings fighting with Star Fox, what with the official orders that we're to be watching you, not helping. You got any spare ships for us?"

Fox frowned and tapped a button on his gauntlet "ROB, are the spare Arwings repaired from the Macbeth mission?"

"_Affirmative."_

Fox glanced up at Bill who gave him a thumbs up. "Okay, make sure they're fueled and ready by the time we exit warp." Fox paused "How long till we're out of warp anyway?"

"_We will arrive at warp destination in three hours, thirteen minutes and thirty-four seconds."_

"Thanks ROB." He turned back to the room at large. "You have three hours, then I want everybody suited up and ready to go."

The group nodded and Fox held out a hand for Krystal who took it and gently rose to her feet, her arm looped through his as they walked out of the room first. Typhon and First Flight stayed sitting and so did Bill, who was watching Typhon as the rest of the team filed out of the room to get back to what they had been doing before the meeting had been called.

Bill waited until the door closed before he raised an eyebrow at Typhon. "Well?"

Typhon glanced at Jen who shrugged "How did-"

Bill raised a paw "That you had questions, it was obvious Corporal. So whats on your mind now?"

Typhon exchanged another glance with Jen. "Sir, are you sure we're supposed to be helping Fox with this attack?"

Bill sighed softly "Typhon, I heard the words directly out of General Peppers mouth."

Typhon raised his own eyebrow "His exact orders were to help Star Fox?"

Bill chuckled softly "Not as much no." his grin slipped off his face when he saw Typhon's face. "Look Corporal, you'll have to learn at some point that sometimes things are not as clear cut as they seem." Bill stood up and laid a hand on Typhon's shoulder. "Just trust me for now when I tell you my orders are the ones you need to worry about following right now. Those orders are to listen to Fox and help him with this attack. Is that clear?"

Typhon nodded "Yes sir."

Bill turned and left the room. Typhon frowned after the door closed while the rest of First Flight stood up. Jen paused and glanced at him when he stayed sitting, his frown still clear. "Come on Typhon, you can trust Bill, you know that."

Typhon glanced her way briefly before he stood up. "Are you sure about that?" he asked softly as he walked past her to head for his new room.

Fox and Krystal were sitting in their room, Krystal in Fox's lap. Fox had the TV on to a comedy station rubbing the back of Krystal's neck as she read a book. Both of their tails were laying off to the side and wrapped around one another. Krystal finished the page she was reading before she rubbed her head. Fox noticed the movement and shut off the TV. "Still having those headaches?"

Krystal nodded mutely.

Fox sighed "That's it after this mission, I'm taking you to Corneria to get you checked out. This has been going on for too long now."

Krystal twisted around on his lap to look into his eyes. "I love you, but you worry to much, I'm sure its nothing. I bet its still just blow back from everything that happened above Macbeth."

Fox blinked "You think that feeling all those souls dieing scarred your mind in someway or something like that?"

Krystal thought about it for a moment. "I wouldn't put it exactly like that, but close enough."

Fox raised an eyebrow "How would you put it then?"

Krystal frowned as she thought again. "More like a deep ache, like I had gotten hit hard enough to have a bone bruise. It's not something that's going to go away quickly." Krystal smiled as she leaned forward, placing her forehead on Fox's "Besides, when I have you in my arms, the headaches are banished. So I guess I just have an excuse to keep you in my arms until this passes."

Fox brought his arms up around her back, pulling her to him so that their lips met, when they parted a few minutes later Fox grinned at his fiance. "You know, I think I can live with that."

Krystal grinned at him "Well, we still have a few hours, and I know of a nice bed not to far away."

Fox stood up from the couch suddenly, Krystal in his arms. "I like the way you think." he said softly as he walked them towards their bedroom.

Three hours later found Star Fox inside their personal hanger near the back of the ship while First Flight sat in the cockpits of the spare Arwings inside the main bay. Bill was getting used to the older layout of the Arwing II's and First Flight was doing the same, except for Ross and Roaj who were staying behind in their Arwing III's to serve as guards for the Great Fox.

Fox was finishing the boot sequence for his ship when ROB's voice echoed out through the hanger. _"Arriving at Destination in 10 seconds."_

Fox pressed a button on his controls that closed his canopy with a small hiss. He linked his ship with the rest of his team. Then connected First Flight as well. He finished this up a slight shudder shook through the ship and Fox knew they had dropped out of warp.

"Slippy? Hows it look?" He question as he double checked his engines status.

"Everything looks clear Fox."

Fox nodded to himself. "Alright, ROB, open both hanger doors and launch all."

"_Affirmative."_

Fox felt his ship shudder slightly as the launching hook connected to the top, in front of him the hanger doors slid open. Fox glanced at Krystal getting a grin from her. A few seconds later the ship blasted forward on its track and the launch hook swung forward as the Arwing disconnected and blasted out into the darkness of space. Falco, Krystal, and Slippy following him with a moments pause between each of them. The four members of Star Fox waited while Bill led first flight towards them from around the ship.

When all seven ships were lined up with each other in formation, Fox keyed open his comm. "Alright, The jump to where the Legion ships have been going is about twenty seconds long. We'll most likely come out in a firefight, so keep alert."

Fox waited until he heard the calls of okays from his team before he spoke the next word "Alright, Warp!"

The ships flashed out in order until Fox's was the last one left, he keyed his own warp and closed his eyes against the flash. He counted to eighteen in his head before he opened his eyes right as his ship exited warp to find a war waiting for him.

Panthers Legion had indeed located Wolf's Sargasso base, and they had wasted no time in surrounding him so that there was no way to escape. The black and green of the Legion fighters, a mixture of upgraded Venom Interceptors and stolen Cornerian Patrol fighters, dashed through the space with the red and black of Wolf's Ruffians. The Ruffians were all using old Wolfen fighters so it was hard to tell if Wolf was out in the fray already or not.

The Legion had four large cruiser class ships that were sitting in off in the corners of the battlefield, blasting any of Wolf's small frigates that got to close while keeping up a barrage on the Sargasso Base shield.

Fox took this all in a split second before he jerked his ship hard to the right to avoid a blast from a fighter that was flying in front of him. "Break and engage." he called out to his team as they blasted apart into the fray. A moment later a voice cut into Fox's cockpit. _"Who are you?"_

Fox smiled at Panthers voice. "This is Fox McCloud, I came to see Wolf. But it kinda looks like hes busy."

Panthers snarl echoed out through his speakers. _"You are hear to help him?!"_

Fox chuckled softly as he blasted one of Wolf's Ruffians out of the air. "No, but I'm not here to help you either."

Panther was quiet for a moment. _"Then that makes you as much of an enemy as he is. Tell me, did you bring Krystal with you?"_

Krystal spoke up "Of course, I'm never far from my Fiance."

Panther growled again. _"Fiance?"_ his next words were directed at Fox _"Destroying you will bring Panther even greater pleasure now. After you and Wolf are nothing but space dust I will take Krystal to where she belongs."_

Fox jerked in his cockpit slightly as it shook from a laser blast on his back. Fox pulled a quick flip and looked up through his cockpit to see the black and green Wolfen II that Panther had stolen, the red rose across both sides of his cockpit with a gold line running up to touch his engines blast by below him.

Fox came down behind Panther and let loose with a few bolts of his own before Panther broke away, only to reappear a moment later behind Fox, hammering his shields again. Before Fox could do anything though a red laser blast slammed into Panthers ship from above, the lasers kept hammering on his shields until Panther broke off.

Wolfs voice echoed through the speakers next. _"Back off Panther, the Pup is mine."_

Fox glanced to his left with the Sargasso base was floating just in time to watch two Arwings fly into the docking bays. He turned back to his controls with a grin as red lasers started flashing past his cockpit. Wolf and Panther both after him complicated the plan a little, but he was confident in Falco and Bill.

He gritted his teeth as his ship shook again. Still he silently hoped that the two of them didn't take _too_ long.

* * *

><p><em><strong>My original plan was going to have this chapter go on all the way through the dogfights in space while Slippy and Falco worked their way through the Sargasso base, but I decided that would fit better as a chapter of its own. Anyway, Next up on my writing block is something for Ratchet and Clank, and the Dead Planet. So those should hopefully get updated soon, we'll just see how life goes eh?<strong>_

_**Remember, leave a review if you are enjoying this story or if you have any suggestions to help me improve. The more feedback I get, the more I write. So, please, take a few minutes to write out something in that little white box below.**_

_**Oh, before I go, its time for Guest Reviews, only one this time.**_

_**Dayton17: Glad you found this story and that you're enjoying it so much. Hopefully I 'll keep you addicted to both this story and The Dead Planet eh? Thanks for the review!**_

_**Right well, that's everything I can think of at the moment. OH! A while back, I made bios for the OC's I plan on keeping around in this story, They are up on my profile page, and I plan on expanding on them here shortly, so if you curious about them, you know, check my profile page.**_

_**That should be everything. I think.**_

_**Peace,**_

_**- Emile**_


	11. Revelations

_**Ha Ha! I return! I'll let you get right into it, I think you should all enjoy this chapter, or at least, I hope you do. Enjoy!**_

* * *

><p>- | - <strong>SF War Saga:<strong> _The ReArmed Conflict _- | -**Chapter 11: **_Revelations - | -_

* * *

><p>Falco glanced around the small hanger as he brought his ship into land, Bill landing his Arwing II near by. Falco finished shutting down the ship before he twisted around in the cockpit and pulled open the hatch behind his seat. He reached in and pulled out his modified revolver and a heavy blaster, as well as two belts to attach the weapons to. He set the protection systems on his ship before he released the canopy which slid forward on rails. He hopped out of the cockpit and took a moment to secure the belts around his waist, his canopy closing as he did so. Falco checked the rolls of ammo that he had strapped to one belt, the ones that he had found in the Remnant base. The guards have taken most of them but he still managed to keep three hidden. The other belt held charge packs for his C-23 Heavy Blaster.<p>

He tested the aim on the blaster before he turned to face Bill who was just dropping down from his Arwing. Where as Falco was dressed in his usual red battle armor, Bill was wearing only a light amount of protection. He had a laser resistant vest strapped over his green combat fatigues, which were armored on the elbows and kneecaps. His boots were reinforced and he had a large knife strapped to his left thigh, and hanging from his right was a standard issue Cornerian C-15 Blaster, the younger brother to Falco's own heavy blaster. Although Bill's had been modified with a silencer.

Bill jogged across the small space between there two ships to meet up with Falco. He reached for his blaster, taking off safe before aiming the weapon at the ground. "So where to next?"

Falco glanced around the hanger. "Not really sure, Slippy and Fox were the ones who got to have fun in the base last time we were here." He pointed towards a doorway that had a stairwell icon on it. "I suggest we start there though, we landed pretty far down, and I know there was a large hanger that's in the middle of the base. If we can get up to there, we can grab an elevator that will take us up to where Wolf's office is and see about digging into his computer." He glanced at Bills weapon. "Is that all you brought?"

Bill glanced at the weapon "Why would I need anything else?"

Falco shook his head. "Tell me it at least has a charge function."

Bill shook his own head in response. "No, I didn't realize I would need one."

Falco moved towards the doorway, Bill following him. "You may not, but when Fox was here last time he ran across a bunch of armored ruffians, external shields that can only be over whelmed by heavy fire, or a charge shot." Falco hefted the weighty weapon currently cradled in his arms. "Hence this thing."

Bill glanced down at his blaster in distrust. "I didn't realize I would be fighting thugs like that, I always thought Wolf's Ruffians were a rag-tag group."

Falco frowned over his shoulder at Bill as they reached the door. "Who ever let you believe that? They may be a rag-tag group, but Wolf's Ruffians are usually carrying top of the line weapons and gear. How else do you think they stay ahead of everybody who's out there gunning for them?" Falco shook his head again as he hit the switch to open the door. "I swear, Corneria has the worst Intel in the world. The guys above Macbeth thought the Remnants were 'rag-tag' as well." Falco led the way up the stairwell while Bill frowned in thought.

They had only made it up a few decks before the ran into trouble. Just as Bill was walking past a door, one of the Ruffians barged into the stairwell.

"Hey, Joel! You in here? Wolf wants all hands on deck." The Ruffian froze when Bill spun around, aiming his blaster at his face. The Ruffian's hand twitched to reach for the assault blaster on his back, Bill saw the movement though and gave a slight shake of his head.

They were both silent for a moment before Bill spoke up. "On your knees, lets do this quietly."

The Ruffian dropped to his knees and Bill moved closer to knock him out, Falco watching out of sight from the landing above. Just as Bill got close though, they heard another voice.

"Frank? You were calling for me?"

Frank turned his head quickly and started shouting. "Joel rai-" he didn't get any further though as Bill hit Frank hard in the side of his head with his rifle, knocking him out.

"Frank?" Joel started running down the short hallway, as he got close and saw his friends body knelt over backwards unconscious, he stumbled to a stop. "Oh sh-" Bill popped around the corner and let loose a flurry of four shots, each one striking Joel in the chest. The lupine dropped to his back with a dull thump and Bill took a moment to listen for anybody else.

When it all seemed clear, he lowered his blaster and went out into the hallway to find someplace to stash the two ruffians. Locating a closet, Bill and Falco quickly stashed the two unfortunate guards before the continued their climb up the stair well. As they approached another landing, Falco stopped on one side of the door and Bill stacked up on the other end.

Bill glanced at Falco. "You think this is the deck?"

Falco shrugged. "Dunno, we've been climbing for a while now, figured we got to be close right?"

Bill rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's great news. Don't you have a map or something?" when Falco shook his head, Bill sighed. "What about Danielle? Can't she scan the station and beam us our location?"

Falco frowned. "You've never run a quiet mission before have you Bill? She does that and everybody on this station will know they have intruders, and once they lock down her signal, they'll know the _Great Fox _is hanging near by, and then they'll trace the signal straight to us."

Bill glanced around the station. "They have tech like that? I thought only Military had access to that."

Falco just shook his head again and hit the switch to open the door. "I don't have time for this, we'll catch you up on the real world when we get done with this. Lets just get off here and see if we can find a map."

The two of them entered the hallway and walked side by side down it, Falco covering the left, and Bill covering the right. They stopped and searched rooms as they went by, but had no luck in finding a map. At least until they reached their eighth junction.

When Bill opened the door, it was just in time for a cargo elevator to open at the back and discharged one of the Powered Armored Ruffians who stepped out with a heavy metal foot, glancing around the room. His heavy Gatling gun was handing loosely from one of his armored hands. He stopped when he laid eyes on Bill, who brought his weapon up and fired a flurry of shots as he entered the room. He was dismayed to see each shot bounce off the shield that appeared out of thin air to ricochet harmlessly into the ceiling.

The Armored Ruffian moved forward, reaching out a large hand towards Bill as Falco entered the room and braced his legs before he raised his blaster to his shoulder. He pulled the trigger starting the weapons overcharge function. He gave a shrill whistle as it charged. "Hey, dumb ass, over here."

The Ruffian turned to face Falco who just grinned and pulled the trigger on his blaster. The powerful laser screaming out of the barrel and shattering the Ruffian's shield before burning through his helmets armor plating and killing the driver before continuing to drill a hole in the back of the helmet and into the ceiling behind him. The now powerless, and driverless suit fell heavily to its knees with a loud thud before falling to its side in a cacophony of noise.

Falco glanced around the room before he lowered his smoking weapon and moved towards Bill. "You okay?"

Bill glanced at the wreck of the armor before nodding. "Yeah, thanks to you. That was one of his armored units?"

Falco turned around. "Sorta, that one only had basic gear on, the armor itself. The bigger ones have full siege load-outs, rockets, auto targeting blasters, the works." Falco shook his head. "Not to mention Wolf's elite unit. Those guys are the things of nightmares, their armor is heavier, but they are actually trained in the use of them, a small squad of Wolf's elite can take out an entire cruiser from the inside out on their own."

Falco moved towards a set of double doors, Bill following him. "How many are in one of Wolf's elite squads?"

Falco looked at Bill as they took up positions on the door. "Four."

Bill whistled softly and Falco glanced back at the fallen armor as he hit the switch to open the door. "You don't think anybody heard the guy fall right? We want to keep this quiet for as long as possible."

Falco and Bill both swung through the doors as they opened only to stop in surprise.

The Ruffians in the Barracks were just as surprised to see the canine and avian. There was silence for a count of three then Falco and Bill both dived backwards as the Ruffians all opened fire, some with their rifles, some with the heavy weapons stored in their lockers, while others ran for their armored suits.

As Bill shrank away from a stray shot on his side of the door, he called out to Falco. "So much for quiet huh?"

Falco just nodded as he started charging his weapon again. "Yeah. Shit." Falco cringed as a blaster shot smashed into his side of the bulkhead. "I hope Fox is having better luck!"

* * *

><p>"Fox!"<p>

Fox groaned out loud as his cockpit shook from another barrage of hits. He wasn't sure if it was Wolf or Panther, or if was even one of the other countless fighters swarming around outside the Sargasso base, all he really knew is that he couldn't take that much more abuse with out some help. He checked his radar and saw three fighters tailing him, Fox trigger his booster and aimed his ship at the Sargasso station, heading for it at max speed. The three fighters followed him and Fox grinned, he made sure his bounce system was active and kept his boost up until right before impact with the space station walls, he turned at the last second and his bounce system fired off, shooting him away from the wall, he he continued his turn in time to see the three Wolfen fighters that had been following him smash into the wall.

The fighters missiles exploded on impact, along with the engines, exposing several decks of the space station to the cold vacuum of outside. Fox grinned to himself for a moment only to frown when a blast lanced across his front shields.

"_You'll pay for that pup!"_ Wolf's voice cut through into his radio. _"It costs me a lot to fix that place!"_

Fox just shook his head as Wolf settled in behind him for another barrage of hits. Before he could start to worry about the status of his fighter though Krystal called out again. "Fox!"

He glanced through the top of his canopy to see Krystal come shooting across the darkness of space, heading straight for Wolf's Wolfen. She waited to fire until she was almost about to pass him, but at that range her lasers were at their full power and Fox saw Wolf's ship actually rock from the force of the lasers that splashed across his shields.

Wolf pulled away from Fox to try and chase after Krystal and Fox shook his head, knowing how pointless that was. Fox triggered his boosters again and shot through the conflict to the outskirts of the system, he reached the edge where the radiation started to affect his systems before he turned his Arwing back towards the fight, studying the action going on in front of him.

When they had first gotten here, they had found the Ruffians and the Legion pretty much on even fighting terms, but now that Star Fox had shown up and tipped the scales by destroying quite a few ships, Wolf's Ruffians seemed to be on the back foot in the defense of their station. This was mainly due to the fact that all of Panthers Cruisers were still sitting at the edge of the battle, hammering away at the Sargasso Station, and providing cover from their own fighters when they needed repairs or ammo with the many anti-air cannons that dotted their hulls.

Fox opened a line to Slippy. "Hey Slippy, how long would those cruisers be able to keep all these fighters resupplied?"

The frog was quiet for a moment while he launched the scan on his computer and finished off the two fighters he had been dealing with. "Two days, Easily."

Fox frowned, that would drag the fight out way to long, the ships his team was using were good for another few hours at most. It would be hard to extract back to the _Great Fox II _while all this was going on. Fox moved his Arwing behind some of the outer lying asteroids and opened up a line to the _Great Fox II. _"Danielle."

Danielle's voice was quick to respond. _"What do you need Fox?"_

Fox looked at his radar to see if anybody was heading his way. "When you guys were doing the overhaul on the ships main cannon. Did you manage to increase its firing range at all?"

Danielle was silent for a few moments. _"Hang on Fox, I'm checking with Xena, the guns were Saz's thing, but Xena should be able to figure it out, what did you need us to hit?"_

Fox watched as one of the burning outposts that was anchored to the rock he was hiding by moved past him with the rotation of the asteroid. "One of the Legions cruisers that they have here. There's a lot going on, and I'm not sure we'll be able to extract easily, but if one of the Cruisers was to suddenly explode..."

Fox trailed off and Xena cut into the line. _"I see where you're going there Si-"_ she paused. _"-Fox, I think it can be done, it'll be a tricky shot from this distance, and there's a good chance the explosives could detonate before they reach the ship. But the beams should still have enough kick in them to rock the ship at the very least."_

Fox grinned to himself as he started moving away from the fighter as a red dot started closing in fast on his location. "Leave the firing to ROB, just stand by for my orders, just in case."

"_Copy that."_ Xena killed the line on her end and Fox focused back on the fight as he entered into it again.

He was only in it for a few moments before the dot that had been heading his way caught up to him and a red Wolfen flew by, putting a few rounds into his shields as it circled around for another pass. _"Thought you could hide from me Pup? Think again. I warned you to stay away. Now its going to cost you your hide."_

Fox couldn't resist responding to the jibe. "You say that every time we fight Wolf, and every time, I send you packing with your tail between your legs."

Wolf growled while he responded. _"Guess we'll see!" _as he finished talking, he launched another barrage on Fox's fighter that brought his front shields down to critical status. Fox frowned as he pulled an S turn to get behind Wolf as he flew by him. He lined up a shot and charged up a shot on the tip of his ship. He waited until his computer beeped a lock before he fired the laser charge, as it left his nose, he thumbed open the launch button on one his two missiles and made sure the lock was still good before he fired the missile as well.

Wolf barrel rolled away from the small explosion the charge shot made, but was unable to avoid the full effect of the missile that detonated just a few moments after words. The star shaped explosion briefly touched on his shields, overloading them in an instant and causing his wing left tip to char black with damage. Wolf pulled away from the explosions, trying to break away from Fox who was taking the time to hammer away on Wolf's exposed ship, one of his shots shearing off Wolf's left wing.

Before Fox could finish taking Wolf out of the fight Panther showed up and rained down a series of blows onto Fox's rear shields. Before Panther could do too much damage, he was chased off by Typhon and Jennifer, but the distraction gave Wolf that time he needed to escape.

Fox opened a line to the two first flight pilots as they fell in behind him. "Thanks you two. I don't suppose you saw where Wolf got off two."

Jennifer was the one who responded. _"No, and I lost Caroso as well."_

Fox shook his head. "Damn, and my shields are pretty low, I need to take a moment to try and charge them before I can get back into the fray. Cover me for a few minutes will ya?"

Typhon was the one who answered this time. _"We've got you covered McCloud, do what you need to."_

Fox thanked him before he closed the channel and triggered the back up shielding system, using it to charge his main shields. The system didn't have enough juice to fully charge them, but it did manage to bring them back up to a high 60%. Fox nodded and spoke to himself. "That will have to do."

He was about to charge back into the fight to find Wolf and Panther when Slippy cut into his line. _"Fox, I'm picking up something from the base, you need to hear it."_

Fox glanced outside at the fighting. "Patch it through Slippy, make sure we can all hear it."

"_Boss! We've got intruders in the base, two guys, a dog and a bird, they've already taken out the D-Wing barracks and are moving across the main hanger heading for one of the cargo elevators. We don't recognize the dog, but the bird matches pictures of Lombardi! We're trying our best to take them out, but they keep cutting through our defense lines."_

Wolf's voice cut into Fox's cockpit. _"I was wondering where your loud mouth bird had gotten off to. Trying to sneak onto my base Pup? Distracting me out here? You should have known better. I'll make sure Lombardi or his friend don't leave my station." _

Wolf's voice cut out and Fox opened a line to Falco. "Falco, Wolf knows you and Bill are there. I have a feeling he'll be sending in his elites to back up his guys in there."

Falco's voice was tense as he answered. _"Jeeze Fox, keep up here, the whole base has known we've been here ever since we trashed their barracks. Thanks for the heads up on the Elites though, we'll keep our eyes peeled."_

Fox nodded as he led Typhon and Jennifer back into the fray. "Right, just makin-"

Bill took over the conversation _"We've get it Fox, but we're a little busy right now. We'll call you when we reach the control room." _Bill cut the connection before Fox could respond and the vulpine frowned with worry as he became distracted by the space fight outside again.

* * *

><p>Bill ducked behind one of the crates that littered the upper layers of the main hanger bay as more laser fire poured into the heavy steel. Bill leaned out to return fire only to stop when he saw of the power armor Ruffians round the corner and aim their repeating cannons at him. The heavy laser slugs causing the crate he was behind to push back with every round they sunk into it. He glanced over at Falco who was using his heavy blaster to take down another powered Ruffian.<p>

Bill frowned before he called out. "Falco, I've got two over here, I need the blaster!"

Falco glanced his way before nodding and sliding the weapon across the exposed area to Bill's waiting paws who grabbed the weapon and readied its charge. He waited for the deck plates beneath his boots to vibrate slightly from the heavy steps of the mechanical suits before he swung around the corner and pulled the trigger.

Luck was on his side as the two Ruffians were lined up perfectly with each other and the charge round burned right through the chest of the first Ruffian before it continued upwards to drill through the helmet of the last Ruffian. Both armored units fell to the ground and Bill turned back to slide the weapon back to Falco. He felt his eyes widen as he called out. "Falco! Behind you!"

Falco reacted more on instinct then real thought when Bill called out. His right hand flew down to his hip where the modified revolver sat in its holster. In a flash he had flicked the small piece of leather that kept the weapon secured free, and pulled the heavy weapon out and spun around, leveling it at the head of the Ruffian was behind him.

Time seemed to slow down for the bird as he tightened his finger on the trigger. It was then that he realized the Ruffian that was reaching for him was one of the powered Ruffians. The mechanical hand was only a foot away from the birds chest and Falco felt his mind rush through several thoughts.

"_This is it for me. This gun isn't going to pierce his shield." _Then_ "There's no way Bill can get the gun charged in enough time to pull off a shot. Not to mention the round would fade before it reached me." _Lastly_ "I hope he gets away clean at least."_

Then his finger finished pulling the trigger and he felt the more then saw the hammer on the back of the revolver fly forward to strike the cylinder. When it did he saw the blaster tech that had been wired into the barrel start to glow. Normally it just fired with out the light show, but this time the green was obvious. A moment later he felt the kick of the black powder explosion that powered the bullet start to draw his arms up.

Then he blinked.

The bang was deafening at this range, louder then any laser based weapon he had fired. His arms felt the recoil from the weapon fly up them to settle into his shoulders. The Ruffian that had been reaching for him tumbled over backwards as the laser coated lead round drilled through his shield and flattened into his helmet. The impact knocking him off balance before the small explosive in the tip of the bullet exploded with a second bang that caused his helmet to shatter, pieces flying into his head to kill him.

Falco blinked again as he glanced down at the revolver in his hands. He grinned and stood up, quickly aiming and sinking two more shots into the remaining Ruffians. Both had armor, and both fell just as easily to Falco's weapon as they fell to Bill's. With their heavy support dropping around them, the remaining dozen Ruffians backed up into the corridor, taking pot shots and allowing Bill and Falco to make a break for the elevator.

When they reached it, Falco was glad to see that it had cover this time, instead of just being a bit of exposed glass like when Fox was here. The two pilots rode the elevator up to the top decks of the station. When the elevator settled to a stop in the corridor, Falco and Bill stepped off, keeping their weapons pointed down the hallway. Bill made to move to the right, but Falco stopped him and gestured to the left.

Bill lowered his voice since they weren't being shot at yet. "How do you know where to go?"

Falco led the way down the hall as he responded. "Fox told me about his little jaunt up here when we were after Pigma. He said he passed a doorway on his way back that led to another part of the upper area, and that he bet that's where Wolf's office was." Falco stopped in front of a door. "Here we go." he pressed the button to open the door and glanced down the small hallway, quickly drawing his head back in.

Falco lowered his voice even more. "One of Wolf's elite is guarding the door."

Bill shrugged "So?" he shoulder the heavy blaster "We just hit him like we hit the rest of the armor."

Falco shook his head. "May end up dead that way, their armor is way thicker, and denser then the guys we fought so far. It takes a lot of blaster fire to melt through it, even with that thing."

Bill was silent for a moment. "Well, your gun then, it seemed to be pretty effective against them."

Falco peeked down the hallway again. "Yeah, but if he doesn't go down with the first shot, I don't know how effective the rest will be." Falco pulled his head back, reaching into his belt and grabbing three of his spare shots for the revolver and taking a moment to load them. He glanced at Bill. "If it doesn't kill him, it'll piss him off at least, hopefully he'll leave his post and you can get in at Wolf's computer."

Bill nodded and Falco grinned, as cocky as ever. "Well then." he snapped his weapon to the side and the cylinder made a loud clacking sound as it locked into place. They heard the the pilot call out. "Who's there?"

Falco glanced one more time at Bill as they heard the heavy foot falls of the armored elite make his way down the hallway towards the door. Falco waited until he was sure the Ruffian was close before he spun around the corner, firing as he set eyes on the Ruffian.

Unlike the rest of the Ruffians they had fought so far in the base, who were always armored in various shades of red. This guy's armor was painted a dark black with red stripes that ran along his arms and legs and forming the paw mark over his helmets top. His armor looked was covered just as much of his body as his lesser counterparts, but his was obviously thicker built, even under the black paint. His heavy repeating blaster was mounted to his arm and aimed at the floor, so Falco caught him with his bullets first.

His first round missed, and detonated on the wall next to the elite, but his other four all made solid contact with the armor, one in the chest, and the other three denting the helmet a bit before all four exploded one right after the other. The one on his chest sent him stumbling back a step, but didn't do much visible damage. The other three on his helmet appeared to do the same amount of damage, warping and denting the armor a bit, but not actually wounding the pilot inside.

Which is why Falco was slightly surprised when the elite dropped to his knees before falling to his side when his suit powered down. Falco waited a moment, his ears still ringing after firing the five shots, his breath slow and heavy as he counted to see if the elite would get up and end his life.

After a count of five, Falco moved forward and walked around to look behind the elite, and that's when he saw that one of the explosives had managed to sever a cord that led to the main power unit. Falco shook his head at his luck before motioning for Bill to join him.

"What happened?" Bill asked as he got close

Falco pointed at the severed cord. "I got lucky, now go and get the info, I'll keep you covered, somebody is bound to come running after the noise I just made."

Bill nodded and held out the C-23 Blaster "You might need this."

Falco shook his head and crouched down behind the collapsed armor. He rapped on the helmet twice before he checked the blaster that was mounted to the arm. After a little bit of pushing, Falco was laying down on the armor with the stock of the blaster tucked into his shoulder. "This cannon has an internal power source, I can use this like an entrenched position for a bit." he paused and grinned at the helmet. "You know, as long as this guy doesn't mind." He glanced up as the sound of footfalls reached his ears. "Go on, I've got this covered."

Bill nodded and ran into Wolf's office, closing the door behind him. He looked around at the sparse office before he spotted Wolf's computer and moved over to it. He sat down at the computer and a screen inlaid into the desk came to life, showing off a digital keyboard. He tapped a button only to see a lock screen come up on Wolf's display. Bill frowned before he opened a comm line to the fight outside. "Hey Slippy, Wolf's computer is locked and I don't know the password, anything you can do?"

There was a pause before Slippy answered. _"Sure, just give a minute to get away from this guy behind me. While I work on that, plug you comm unit into the computer there should be a port somewhere, I can use that to get in."_

Bill pulled the unit out from under his vest and looked for a place to plug it in. He had just managed to get it connected when he heard the loud sound of the blaster that Falco had decided to use sound through the closed door. He glanced at the Wolf's computer just in time to see the screen unlock.

Slippy spoke up a few moments later. _"Okay, I am in. Give me a second to start a download to my Arwings internal computer."_ Bill watched a progress bar pop up and start to fill as Slippy started the download. A few moments later he heard Slippy's voice again. _"Hmm...That's odd, Wolf was running a scan on his computer for something."_

Fox's voice cut in _"Did it find anything?"_

"_Uh, yeah it did actually, there was a program linked into the comm system in Wolf's computer that was broadcasting its location." _Slippy paused _"I bet you anything, this is how Panther found Wolf's base! The only question is how he got it onto Wolf's computer in the first place."_

Falco cut into the line as he fired another round into a Ruffian who charged down the hallway. "Figure it out later. This gun is running out of power and Bill and I need to be gone before then."

Fox spoke up again _"You heard them Slippy, finish the download. After that Falco, Bill, you two need to get out of there quickly."_

Bill looked around the room as the download finished and Slippy locked the computer. As he grabbed his comm unit and plugged it back in. "How are we supposed to get out of here exactly? This is a dead end hallway and we have a bunch of Ruffians between us and the exit." Bill moved out into the hallway and fired off a few shots as he moved forward to crouch down next to Falco.

Falco glanced over at him as he reached down and pulled a container free from the elites armor. "I've got our exit covered. You might want to cover your ears."

Bill blinked before he crouched down further behind the armor and covered his ears. Falco twisted a dial on the top of the grenade and held it for a few moments counting under his breath for a few seconds. When he reached a count of three he tossed the container out into the hallway and covered his ears as a moment later the container exploded in a blinding mixture of light and sound that rendered most of the Ruffians out in the hallway incapable of fighting for the next few minutes. The two pilots got up from behind their cover and charged down the hallway, putting a few shots from their weapons into whatever Ruffians were starting to already recover.

They reached the elevator without further incident and rode it down where after a brief firefight against two Ruffians the two made it to a stairway and headed down.

* * *

><p>Outside, things were faring better for Fox and them team, as the wore down on the fighters around them. The team was still massively outnumbered, but they had managed to shoot down a good number of ships, granting the team the ability to find moments where they could fly off and recharge their ships are just take a small breather.<p>

Fox was slightly worried since he knew that they needed to pull out soon to at least refuel the Arwings if they were going to keep fighting. He shot down another fighter that he had been chasing just in time to have a few bolts glance by just over his shields. Fox checked his rear camera to see Wolf following him again.

Fox was just getting ready for another dogfight between him and Wolf when Panther's voice cut into the comm net. _"O'Donnell, my employer would like me to pass something onto you."_

Wolf couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. _"What? What employer?"_

Wolf fell silent and Fox frowned before he opened a closed line to Slippy. "Slippy."

"_Way ahead of you Fox, it's some sort of data file, from what I can tell so far, its encrypted, and not with something I can bypass with the Arwings computer. I'll need to take a copy with us to the _Great Fox._"_

Fox nodded to himself. "You can copy it then?"

Slippy was quick to respond _"Already done, I'll get to work on it as soon as I can."_

Before Fox could respond, Falco cut into the network. _"Bill and I just made it back to our ships, doesn't look like they ever figured out where we came in from. We're getting ready to pull out."_

Fox glanced behind him and frowned again as Wolf suddenly pulled away and flew towards the upper part of his base. "Alright, good job guys. We did what we came here to do, everybody get ready to pull out." Fox was about to open a line to Xena to tell her to fire when Wolf cut into the open comms again.

"_All Ruffians, retreat to Sector C and prepare for a warp jump to the fallback point. All units in the Sargasso base, you have five mintues to get your asses to your ship or a evac pod or we're leaving you behind." _

There was a pause before one of the Ruffians spoke up _ "Boss...are you?"_

Wolf paused before he answered _"We're evacuating the Sargasso Base, its no longer secure."_

There was another pause in which Fox felt his eyes widen as he realized what Wolf was saying. He heard another Ruffian speak up _"Sir, there's a cruiser in the middle of the C sector, it will block all escape routes."_

Fox actually heard Wolf growl as he responded. _"There won't be for long. If this is how they want to play, we'll change our game too." _Fox blinked again when Wolf spoke up again, this time directly to him. _"We'll finish this later Pup, count on it."_

The line fell silent and Fox focused on the Ruffian ships that were pulling back towards one of the edges of the fighting, swarming over the defenses of the Legion cruiser that was sitting there. The fighters hung back out of range from the ships guns, dog-fighting with the Legion ships that followed them.

Panther cut into the line. _"You give up that easily O'Donnell? Are you submitting to the Legion?"_

Wolf snorted before he responded. _"As if Caroso, You have twenty seconds to move that cruiser before I move it for you."_

Panther chuckled darkly as he responded. _"And how are you going to do that? Strafe it with your fighters? That won't get you very far."_

Fox watched as Falco and Bill's ships flew out of the landing bay and headed for the edge of space. He turned to join them, but still payed attention to the conversation between Panther and Wolf. When Wolf spoke up next, Fox could almost see the grin the was no doubt on his face. _"Hey, Caroso, let me ask you something. Have you seen Leon recently?"_

Panthers confusion was obvious "_Powalski? Why would I have seen him?"_

Now it was Wolf's turn to chuckle. _"Leon, why don't you show him what you've been up too since Caroso showed up?"_

Leon's cold voice cut into the network with a small laugh. _"Gladly. You may want to cover your eyes."_

Before Panther could react to the statement, one of the cruisers on the far side of the area that had been moving towards the fighting suddenly exploded, the sphere of light erupting from its middle and consuming the entire ship down to its smallest debris, leaving the hulking cruiser torn in half by the violent explosive. Before the light from the first explosion had faded, another one erupted on a second cruiser, this one on the back end of the ship, devouring the engines and most of the rear of the ship in a matter of moments. Then a third one went off this one taking the bridge off the third cruiser, there was pause as all eyes were drawn towards the last cruiser, just in time to watch another explosive go off, tearing the last of the Legions main force in the Sargasso region apart like they it was made of flimsy paper.

Panthers shocked voice came over the net _"What...what did you do?!"_

Leon sniggered _"I used a few new toys of mine to make sure you would lose this fight no matter what. Maybe that will teach you to betray Wolf."_

Wolf chuckled as well as the Ruffians all blasted into a warp _"Think on that next time you come after us Caroso. Ruffians, fall back." _with those words, Fox watched as Wolf's fighter flashed into a warp after his other ship.

A moment later Panthers stunned voice come back over the air. _"All Legion ships, fall back to base..."_

Fox and his team moved towards their warp point as well, the silence thick between them as they thought about what just happened. They had just exited their warp jump back to the Great Fox when Falco spoke up. _"Fox, those explosives..."_

Fox nodded to himself again. "I know, it was just like the Remnant ships over Macbeth." he paused for a moment before he continued. "Bill have you ever seen explosives like that?"

Bill was quiet as he responded _"No, as far as I know, Corneria has nothing to match that fire power, and you say the Remnants have that type of technology?"_

Falco was the one who responded _"Yeah, we saw it over Macbeth, it was what they used to destroy their convoy."_

Bill fell silent as they headed back for the Great Fox, Danielle hailed them as they landed. _"Hey Fox, look's like you didn't need that distraction after all."_

Fox moved the conversation over to his gauntlet as he shut down his ship and hopped out of the Arwing and moved over to wait for Krystal to get our of her ship. "Yeah, Wolf took care of that for us. As soon as everybody is aboard, get us out of here."

"_Where do you want to go?"_

Fox paused as Krystal's canopy opened. "I don't know, Papetoon I guess. We'll leave the ship in dry dock to get refueled and take some time for some rest and relaxation."

"_Roger that, I'll have ROB get on that."_

Fox closed the line as Krystal dropped down next to him with a frown. The two of them headed for the exit to the hanger as Slippy and Falco brought in their fighters. "Something wrong Krystal?"

Krystal was quiet for a moment. "I'm just trying to figure out what Wolf was planning, surly those explosives were a last resort thing to do. Also, I'm trying to figure out who Panther was working for." Krystal paused to rub her fingers on her temple. "These headaches aren't helping my concentration at all." she sighed and leaned up against Fox as they walked towards their room. "At least we can take a few days off, maybe that will help."

Fox wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled him tight to her as they walked. "Yeah, who knows, after everything that's happened, a few days of R and R might just do us all some good." He paused as they reached their room and Krystal opened the door with a swipe of her paw. "That reminds me." Fox took a moment to open a link to Slippy's gauntlet. "Hey Slippy, send that data that you pulled from Wolf's computer to Peppy so that he can deliver it to Pepper for us."

"_Will do Fox. What about that files that Panther sent to Wolf?"_

For frowned. "Whatever was in those files set Wolf off, lets hold onto them until you get them decoded, then decide what to do with them after that."

"_Alright Fox, Danielle said we're heading to Papetoon? Are we heading for the Den?"_

Fox nodded as he and Krystal sat down on their couch. "Yeah, we're going to take a few weeks to drop off the grid and relax."

Fox sighed as he took off his gauntlet and leaned back into the couch with Krystal snuggled up next to him. She yawned once before she spoke up. "You guys have a base on Papetoon?"

Fox nodded. "Yeah, an old base, from back in the day. We go there when we need to relax for a while, the town that its in is friendly to me after something my father did for them back in the day. They keep it quiet when we land there so that we can actually relax."

Krystal hummed softly in her throat. "Never been to Papetoon, should be fun."

Fox chuckled. "Yeah, we'll see."

* * *

><p>- | - Two Weeks Later - | - Wolfs Paw - | - Wolf O'Donnell's office - | -<p>

* * *

><p>Wolf was pacing, something he had been doing too much of lately. He kept thinking back on the events of the past few weeks, everything that he had found out, and it was hard to keep his temper in check. He focused on his computer as it beeped and the projector kicked into life, the cubes spinning around to form a room in front of him, he focused his gaze on the female who was standing in the middle of the holographic room.<p>

"So, you're Kursed?"

The female chuckled. "No Mr. O'Donnell, but I am as close as you are going to get to her."

Wolf frowned as he continued pacing, the female following his movements with her eyes. "So Kursed is a female, figured as much. But lets move onto more pressing maters. I had my tech pull the information from my computer in Sargasso, and he found out something interesting. Turns out that there was a program that was broadcasting my location to someone." Wolf pointed a finger at the woman. "He says the program showed up after I talked to your boss via that little chat. Isn't it interesting that Caroso found me just a short while after?"

The woman smiled. "Not really, since Kursed is the one who gave him the key to access you location."

Wolf snarled. "So you admit that you sold me out to Panther!"

The female held up a hand. "Relax Mr. O'Donnell. There was a good reason for what we did."

Wolf stopped and crossed his arms. "Oh, and what the hell would that be?"

"Simple, We needed something on the planet where Caroso had setup base. We had tried to contact him before, but he proved...unwilling to cooperate with us. So we sought other methods to gain access. Since out plans couldn't continue until we had access to his planet, Kursed came up with a plan to get him off the planet."

Wolf took over for her. "You told him how to find me, knowing that he would take the bulk of his forces and leave his base almost unguarded, Caroso reigned on the planet like a king, controlling the locals through force, and he made sure he was the only power on the planet. Remove him from there, and the planet is yours."

The woman clapped her hands. "Very good, Mr. O'Donnell, right on the money. What was left of his Legion tried hard to defend the planet, but they didn't last very long against us."

Wolf resumed pacing. "What about Caroso himself? I'm sure he retreated back to Raydon after I left."

The woman nodded. "That he did, and I have to take a moment to congratulate you on taking out his remaining cruisers, that made the fight much easier when he returned. Kursed personally told me to make sure you knew that she was proud of your work."

Wolf scoffed. "Yeah, I'll pass the praise onto Leon. He did all the hard work. But you didn't answer my question: What happened with Caroso? Is he dead?"

The woman frowned. "Sadly no, he has escaped out capture with a couple of his lieutenants. We know he is somewhere on the planet, and we have locked down all means of leaving Raydon. His own fighters are locked away in my personal hanger, so he's not going anywhere. I'm also going to be joining the search for him shortly, and I guarantee you that he won't last long after that."

Wolf snorted. "Right, you let me know when you've caught him."

The woman nodded with a small smile. "Of course, is there anything else you wished to discuss?"

Wolf stopped pacing again and leaned up against his desk. "Yeah, what am I supposed to do now? All I have is the _Paw, _which is still sitting in Sector Y where you told me to put it."

"You'll receive new orders shortly about where you need to move it, now that we have the planet under our control, we can proceed with our plans."

Wolf nodded. "Alright, just a few things left then."

"Such as...?"

Wolf raised a finger. "First off, my tech tells me that Star Fox got a copy of my hard drive from Sargasso, no doubt they sent a copy off to Corneria. There was nothing about what I have the _Paw _doing, but there is still enough there to be damaging."

The woman waved a hand through the air. "We've taken care of that already, don't worry about it."

Wolf raised his second finger. "Second, since you hired Caroso, you were the one who gave him the files he sent me then. I just need to know if those things were true. I evacuated the Sargasso base because of them."

The woman nodded. "One Hundred percent, I pulled them from Cornerian servers myself. No doubt you save your operation by doing so."

Wolf snorted softly before he held up a third finger. "Finally, what's your name?"

The woman smiled. "That's need to know Mr. O'Donnell, and you are not on the list of people who need to know."

Wolf scoffed again. "Whatever, it doesn't matter anyway." He pushed himself off his desk and pointed at her. "I know who you are, it took me a moment to remember where I had seen you before. You're one of the toe the line good guys that ran with Star Fox back in the day, and you work for Corneria now, how am I supposed to trust you?"

The woman's smile grew bigger. "I was wondering if you would figure it out. Rest assured my loyalty is to the Remnants. No matter what else you may see in the coming months. Oh, and one last thing, Wolf. We'll be keeping in touch now, the board is set up and all the pieces are in play now, it won't be long until it all starts."

Wolf frowned. "You're really going to do it, aren't you?" he shook his head. "I've got to be crazy to go along with this."

The woman sat down in a chair and crossed her arms. "Relax Wolf, you choose the winning side after all."

With that, the hologram faded from sight and Wolf moved behind his desk, sitting down in his chair and crossing his arms. He closed his eyes as he thought about what was said, and what didn't get said during the conversation. He leaned forward and pressed a finger to the side of his head piece. "Leon, things are starting to escalate, I think its time we pulled Saz out of the military and bring him back here."

"_I'll do it tonight. Are you worried about something?"_

Wolf was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure right now, I just want people I can trust around here right now."

"_Alright, I'll see you in a few days."_

* * *

><p>- | -Two Weeks Later - | - Papetoon - | - The Den - | -<p>

* * *

><p>Fox sighed as he sat down at the table across from Krystal who smiled up at him as they ate breakfast together. The had taken to waking up before the rest of the team and eating breakfast together before they headed out to visit the local town, as well as stop by some of the sites where Fox did a lot of his early missions. Today was no different, at least at first.<p>

Right as they finished eating, Slippy walked in looking worried. "Ah, Fox, good you haven't left yet."

Fox keyed in quickly on Slippy's tone. "Whats wrong Slippy?"

Slippy glanced around the room. "I've been working on decoding those files while we've been here, and I broke through just a few minutes ago."

Fox nodded "Okay, and there is something bad in them then?"

Slippy nodded. "Yeah, I've got them here." Slippy held up four data-pads as he sat down. "But I'm waiting for Falco to get up."

"Wait no longer, I'm here." The tired looking avian walked into the room and sat down at the last remaining seat at the table, he leaned his chair back and kicked up his feet onto the table. He stretched once and yawned before he glanced at Slippy. "Now what was so important?"

Slippy opened a file on the data pads and set them in the middle of the table. "This." Fox and Krystal leaned in to look but Falco stayed in the potion he was, staring at the ceiling of the Den. "Let me know what's on there."

Fox was quiet for a moment as he read through the files. He frowned as he read, using his fingers to swipe through the files. What he saw already worried him, but before long he came across a file that shocked him to his core. He looked up at Slippy. "Are these...?"

Falco glanced up at Fox's tone before he dropped his feet and leaned in to look at the files. "No way." he said softly.

Slippy meanwhile nodded at Fox. "These are detailed mission files on how to take out Wolf's Ruffians, Panthers Legion...and...us." Slippy reached forward and swiped through the files. "They have plans on every mercenary unit in Lylat, and some even further out." he opened another file. "and look at this, this one, for us, the details how to attack the _Great Fox II, _covering everything, including the modifications I made that have no blueprints on record." he pointed to a note at the bottom of the plans. "Right here, it says that this plan is on suspension as long as Star Fox remains useful." Slippy shook his head. "Fox, they have plans for how to counter our new ships, what best way to removes us from the public eye. Everything." Slippy lowered his head. "I don't know what to make of this, and that's not the worst of it."

Fox glanced back down at the files. "It gets worse?"

Krystal gasped softly and covered her mouth with her paw. "Oh no."

Fox looked over at her. "What?"

Krystal looked at him with a shocked look. "Fox, these are signed by General Pepper."

Fox turned back to his data pad, locating the authorization signature. He shook his head. "This, this can't be." he looked up "They have to be faked, Pepper said he was worried the Remnants had infiltrated Corneria. This has to be them."

Falco shook his head as he studied the files, all signs of his lack of sleep gone. "I dunno Foxy, he could be lying about all that."

Fox shook his head. "I refuse to believe it." He set his data pad down and looked at his team. "Look, for now, we keep this to ourselves, don't tell Bill, don't tell First Flight, and don't tell Xena or Danielle. I want to get to the bottom of this first" He looked over at Falco "See if you can get in touch with Peppy and tell him we need to talk to General Pepper in person as soon as possible." Falco nodded.

Before the conversation could continue any further, Krystal set her pad down and shook her head, rubbing her temple. "I'm with Fox on this, I say we hold off until we know more." she pushed her chair back and stood up. "I'll be in my room if anybody needs me."

Fox placed a paw on hers before she walked away. "Everything okay?"

Krystal nodded. "Yeah, I just need to meditate on all this I think."

Fox gave a small nod and let her walk off before he turned back to Falco. "Let me know when Peppy gets back to us." He turned to face Slippy. "Go through these, do whatever you can to check that they are for real."

Slippy nodded. "I will. What are you going to do?"

Fox stood up. "I'm going to go the Great Fox and tell the rest of the team that we'll be leaving soon."

Meanwhile, inside the room she shared with Fox, Krystal was panting and shaking as she leaned over the sink. The pain from her headaches kept getting worse, and nothing she did seemed to get rid of them. No pain killers seemed to affect it. But what worried her, was ever since they started, sometimes she would wake up and be in a different place then when she fell asleep. She wanted to tell Fox what was happening, but she didn't want to worry him.

She looked up at the mirror in the bathroom before she reached down and ran some water over her face. "What's happening to me?" she asked aloud, not really expecting an answer. She stared back in the mirror, studying her reflection, and that was when she noticed the figure in the background, as she made eye contact with it, she felt another wave of pain wash over her and she blacked out as a voice thundered through her head.

"_Let me out!"_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well, suffice to say, it looks like things are starting to pick up quickly. Hopefully you're all still following me on this little trip through the twisted paths of my mind. So, before I get into Guest reviews, I just want to let you know why I'm updating today for this story. Its for a simple reason actually. My one shot Collection, Star Fox: Destinies just broke a hundred reviews yesterday, and it put me in such a great mood that I finished up the last few pages for this and wanted to upload it. So I hope you enjoyed, and if you haven't checked out Destinies, you might want to give it a look. Just saying.<strong>_

_**So, on the Guest Reviews, only one this time.**_

_**Star Wolf 2.0: Well, here is your update, and Dead Planet has its first act finished so its done for now. As for Panther, he isn't gone yet, he still has a few more bits to play, but he will be done soon.**_

_**I think that should be it, again, I hope you're all still enjoying this, and if you want, feel free to drop me a review to let me know how I'm doing, as most of you know, I respond to all of them. Speaking off, I should get on those responses for Destinies.  
><strong>_

_**Till next time!**_

_**Peace,**_

_**- Emile**_


	12. Fallout

_**Man, it has been way to long, I won't bore you with the details, but I've essentially had my writing legs kicked out from under me multiple times that past few months. This chapter took a while to put together, but I'm satisfied with it. This was originally going to be broken up into two stories, but after shaving off some ideas from part two. I've decided to keep them as one, so as long as no new ideas spring in my mind, the halfway point should be in the next few chapters.**_

_**So, sorry for the delay, but here is the next chapter, enjoy the Fallout from the assault on Sargasso.**_

* * *

><p>- | - <strong>SF War Saga:<strong> _The ReArmed Conflict _- | -**Chapter 12: **_Fallout - | -_

- | - One Month after the Assault on Sargasso - | - Wolf's Paw - | - Collection Room - | -

* * *

><p>It was quiet at first, the room was dim, the lights cut to save power. But as he watched from the gantry above, a light appeared from below. Giant fans whisked into life deep within the ship, as vents on the outside hull opened. As the fans spun faster, a sickly green gas started to seep into the room. The radioactive gas quickly filled in the bottom of the room before it started to rise up towards the gantry.<p>

Wolf watched it all with a bored eye, knowing full well that the glass barrier would keep the gas from escaping. When he first found the ship, he hadn't understood why this room was buried so deep in the ship, and had thicker armor then even the outer hull. But it had all clicked when he had first tried starting it, and instead of a generator kicking into life, the ship had started pulling in the fumes from outside the dock and running the gas and radioactive particles through the many filters that ran throughout the ship.

"Collecting more fuel boss?"

Wolf glanced over his shoulder at Saz Melain who was leaned up in the doorway behind Wolf. The gray and brown calico cut a different picture dressed in his uniform for the Ruffians then when he had been undercover inside Corneria. His mechanic jumpsuit was gone, replaced instead by the light combat armor that all of Wolf's elite pilots wore. Pitch black boots reached up to blend with the dark gray pants that had reinforced kneecaps. Three red stripes ran down each leg, connecting at the knee pads before forming into one long line that ran down to the boots. His black shirt was loose and hung out a bit over his belt, the Star Wolf emblem standing out on Saz's chest. He wore a loose jacket that was unzipped, allowing Wolf to see the blaster that hung from his underarm holster, and the knife that was tucked just behind his waist.

The biggest thing that Wolf always noticed though, was his eyes, when Saz was on Corneria, they were sharp, and warm, welcoming all to ask him anything. Here though, there was a dark coal of light that burned deep in his eyes. These eyes were still sharp, but they also were heartless, and calculating.

Wolf turned his gaze back to the collection tank. "Some of it is fuel, most of it we've been 'requested' to bring back to Raydon for the project that they are working on there."

Saz pushed off the doorway, walking forward and standing next to Wolf. "You don't sound excited boss. I thought we were getting a huge pay day off of this."

Wolf waved a hand through the air. "We don't need the money, not really. I only sided with them because they told me they could get Corneria off my back." Wolf sighed. "I just wish I knew what they wanted with all this irradiated garbage."

Saz was silent. "Whatever it is, I'm sure they have their reasons for not telling you. One thing is for sure, these guys know how to keep a secret. I wasn't finding anything while I was with Corneria." He glanced at Wolf. "I'm guessing that's why I was pulled out? I wasn't getting the results you wanted?"

Wolf shook his head. "That was only part of it. I've been trying to figure out what they're planning next, but I've been kept so much in the dark about the workings on their plans, all I've been told is the end game."

Saz leaned on the railing as well. "Corneria, fallen."

Wolf was silent for another moment, his voice was soft when he spoke. "Not fallen, corrupted." he continued in his normal voice. "From what I've been able to glean from your information, and my other sources, they have everything they need to pull it off already." He frowned. "Yet, they're waiting for something, something big to push the scales even further in their favor."

Saz gestured to the collection tank below them. "I'm guessing that's what they need this stuff for."

Wolf nodded. "They also need some from X and Z, that's why when this container is full we'll be jumping to those sectors then taking it all back to their base on Raydon." He was quiet for another moment before he continued "This is the only ship in existence that can collect and run off the irradiated crap from the sectors. They know that, yet for some reason, instead of trying to take it, they keep me on their books. I can't figure it out, could they need something else from me?" Wolf sighed and straightened. "No matter what though, this is getting close to an end, I know it." He turned and started walking towards the door.

Saz straightened as Wolf moved away. "So whats the plan if they succeeded?"

Wolf paused as he reached the door way, glancing over his shoulder at Saz. "We'll survive, that's all that matters."

Saz nodded and Wolf left the room.

* * *

><p>- | - In route to Raydon - | - One Month ago - | -<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Did we really just..." <em>Chea's left her sentence hanging as Panther led what remained of his forces back towards Raydon.

Panther growled softly before he answered. "Yes, The Legion just ran with our tails tucked between our legs. The only advantage we had on the assault were our cruisers, and without them, it would have been a loosing battle. Even though Wolf retreated, if we stuck around to pick a fight with Star Fox, most likely we would have been defeated." Panther sighed. "As much as Panther hates to say this, for now its best that we return to Raydon to lick our wounds."

Liae spoke up next. _"After that?"_

Panther grinned at his reflection in his canopy, running a finger through his head fur. "Then, we hunt."

Panther blinked as Chea started speaking again. _"Approaching Raydon, dropping out of warp in three, two, one..."_

Panther tightened his grip on his flight sticks as the blue space of warp was replaced by the blackness of normal space, and the view of the planet that he called home.

Raydon was covered in mountains and valleys, with a few large deserts spanning areas in the south, and where there wasn't deserts, the planet's surface was covered with a variety of trees, large and small. As such, the planet was mostly green with just a few spots of brown and white for the deserts and the polar caps. Due to its rough nature, there weren't many large cities, only four in fact, everything else was small villages where people gathered in clearings. The largest city was Cerner, and it was where Panther's base was located. He had ousted a drug lord who was running the city from the fortress when he first arrived, and before long, he had taken control of the rest of the planet.

It had been surprisingly easy, since all the cities were run by some criminal element, all he had to do was remove them from power. The citizens of the planet didn't care who ran the place, as long as he didn't bother them, since most of them preferred to live on their own in the forests. After that it had been easy to reinforce the fortress in Cerner to be his headquarters for the Legion. He had only just set up base when he had first met Liae.

She had approached him in fact, she noticed the fact that he had used his new found power and underlings to set up a hanger for his ships. She had been waiting for him at the main entrance to the base and as soon as he stepped out, she called out that she wanted to fly for him. After a brief test of her skills, Panther had let the brown furred tomcat join his team as one of his lieutenants. Chea he had met while on another planet, the unusual black lynx had been stranded when the mercenary group she had been flying with had betrayed her and left for dead. Panther offered her a position in the Legion and a promise that he would help her take revenge on the group, Chea had joined on the spot.

Panther blinked twice as he stared at his planet, and at the wreckage that floated around it. He pulled his stick hard to the right as he yelled into his radio. "Look out, evade!"

Panther and his troops all managed to avoid the floating chunks of the only Legion cruiser that he had left guarding the planet. But only Chea, Liae and a few others along with himself managed to avoid the storm of laser fire that stretched across space from the dark gray cruisers that floated in orbit above his planet.

Thinking fast Panther turned towards the planet, aiming for a stretch of forest outside of Cerner. "Head to the planet, go!"

Panther thumbed his boost, straining his ship to reach the atmosphere of Raydon, he had to slow down when he hit the upper layers or risk burning his ship up, but he managed to make it to the planet's surface without being shot out of the sky. That was when he realized that Chea and Liae were the only ones who were still with him.

"Wha-" Before he could even finish asking the question, Liae cut in. "The rest of the unit went after the cruisers to buy us some cover. I don't think they made it far."

Panther growled as he thumbed his booster again, skimming the treetops with his Wolfen. "We will make them pay, quickly, to the base, we'll rearm there and strike back with the planetary cannons."

It wasn't long before they were flying over Cerner, but what he saw in the distance worried him. His fortress had giant columns of smoke spewing into the sky from multiple holes.

Chea was the first to comment. "It looks like they hit the armory, the generators, even the shield control room."

Panther just growled again as he led the two towards the hanger, where the bright flashes of laser fire struck back and forth from the invaders, and his Legion. He brought his fighter into the hanger, slowing it down and spinning it around, spraying fire at the enemy units in his hanger as Chea and Liae landed. Panther set his fighter down as well, firing off a few more blasts before opening up his canopy and jumping out, his laser pistol clutched in his paw. He landed on the ground and raised himself up, firing a few rounds at the last few invaders in the hanger. In just a few moments the last of the intruders fell to the assault from Panther and his Legion.

Before they could have time to even raise their hands in victory, a dark gray dropship appeared outside of the landing bay, side doors already open and more armored troops dropping down using repulsion fields to land softly from the twenty foot drop.

"Fall back! Close the blast doors!" Panther could hardly believe that he was the one who was shouting out the orders as he moved back towards the base entrance from cover to cover. He passed by his lieutenants and called out as he started a mad sprint for the closing base doors. "Come on!" The three of them just managed to make it in before the heavy doors slammed shut, the giant bolts inside hissing as they locked into place. Panther turned to the unit commander that had been defending the hanger. "Report."

The Vixen saluted. "Its the Remnants sir, they showed up shortly after you left, the _Decadence _held them off for an hour or so, but then reinforcements arrived and quickly overwhelmed the ship. I know a few escape pods launched, but I don't know how many made it to the surface. We used the planetary cannons to hold them in the atmosphere for a few hours, but then something happened to the generator base, they went dark and the power flow stopped, we couldn't use the cannons anymore, and before we could raise shields over the base, a bombing wing strafed all of our major installations into rubble."

Chea shook her head as she spoke up. "Remnants, This isn't the first time we've been screwed by these guys." She looked at Panther. "I bet you anything they dropped a commando unit of some sort to take out the Generators."

Panther nodded his agreement before turning back to the Vixen. "Have you managed to secure the base at least?"

The Vixen nodded, "Yeah, we've kept them pushed back since they started their attack, but I'm not sure how much longer we can hold them off if they bring heavy weapons into play. So far all they have used light armored troops and weapons to try and take the base bit by bit."

Panther nodded. "Very well, lets head to the lower command room." He started walking, his Chea and Liae following him while the Vixen and her unit turned their focus back to the bunker door, taking up positions behind cover.

So it went for two weeks, Panther and his Legion stayed in their base and drove off the attacks from the Legion, slowly loosing more and more of the base to the seemingly limitless Remnants and their march. Eventually all that was left were fifteen men, along with Panther and his lieutenants. They have been driven back into the lowest part of the base. Here they held for another two weeks, loosing one precious man after another until only seven remained. Chea was the one who ended up coming up with an escape plan.

Using the last of their explosives, blow a hole through the weakest part of the the base wall and into the sewer system. As if the Remnants knew what their plan was, they launched a furious assault on the room, with five of the men taking the biggest guns they had at the point and going to hold the front line while the last five rigged the charges. With a stroke of luck, the explosives they had were enough to breech the wall and Panther called out to the five who were guarding the entrance.

As the smoke cleared, Panther turned to call out to the remaining men guarding the entrance. Before he could call out though, another explosion shook the base and a wall of fire erupted out from the small room they had taken shelter in as part of the ceiling collapsed to the ground. Panther blinked twice before he growled and turned to follow Chea and Liae into the pitch black sewers. The three of them turned to cover the last two members of the team who were retreating under heavy fire from the Remnants. The two Calico's had almost reached the hole when two sharp laser blasts belonging to a sniper rifle lanced out from above and struck them down.

Before the three of them could retreat further into the sewers, a voice drifted down to them. _"Run as much as you like Caroso, I'll find you no matter where you go."_

Panther stopped where he was, recognizing the voice. "Chea, Liae, Panther needs you to head for the run off pipe in the woods." The two of them paused before Panther pointed further down the sewer line. "Go, Panther will catch up with you." They glanced at each other one more time before they ran ahead. Panther turned back to the entrance, raised his voice, he called out into the ruined base. "So, you show your true colors at last minx."

"_Minx? You wound me Caroso, you know exactly what I am."_

"Why did you show up now?"

"_I let you have your fun for a little while Panther, but I've grown bored of your antics, and as cliché as it is, we can't afford to have you running around anymore."_

Panther grinned. "You need to keep your focus on the lab in the mountains yes?" When there was no answer Panther grinned a little wider and moved further back into the tunnel. "Yes I know about it, and I'm going to go there and personally kill every last man that you no doubt have trying to open the door."

"_Good luck breaking in."_

Panther lost his grin a little bit as he retreated further. "The labs inner doors are sealed with impossible to breach blast doors, and nobody knows how to unlock them."

A chilling laugh echoed down past him, and Panther watched as a shadowed figure stepped into the pipe, her form hidden by the remaining light from the base. _"We already have the lab open. Don't worry, if you try to make good on your threat, I'll have the men prepared. If you manage to evade me and make it that far, I might start to worry. Until then..."_

Panther ducked around a bend in the pipe right as a laser blast etched itself where he had been a moment later. After that, all he could really focus on was running, keeping his breath even so he could sprint the two miles to the exit. After an hour of running and short breaks, he finally saw light at the end of the tunnel.

Panther coughed as he made his way out of the run off pipe, pausing at the edge and staring down at the drop to the pit of foul liquid as he recovered his breath. He sneered before he jumped to a ledge near by. Stumbling as he landed and coming to a rest with his shoulder braced against a barren tree. His once showy outfit was stained and torn, his body showing the past month of stress it had been put through, the lack of food, water, and sleep had left him with a ragged appearance. His hair and fur no longer shined, but was dull and matted, torn in places where it had caught on some grate along with his clothes. Normally he would have worried about his appearance, but ever since Sargasso, and since the destruction of the Legion, something had changed with him.

Remembering what he said to his enemy in the sewers Panther sighed. "There is no way Panther will be able to take the lab. Even with Chea and Liae, if what she said is true..." he sighed again as he pushed off from the tree. He had only gone a few steps before he threw himself behind the tree, drawing his hold out blaster and aiming it at the moving bushes. His finger tightened on the trigger as whoever was moving through the foliage made their way towards him.

He relaxed his grip when Chea pushed through the brush, a couple of twigs stuck to her hair and fur, she sighed with relief when she made eye contact with Panther. "Thank god."

Panther stood up, keeping a grip on his weapon as he looked around. "Where is Liae."

Chea blinked and glanced back towards the sewer pipe. "She said that she was going back to help you. I thought she would be here."

Panther growled low in his throat as he turned back towards the sewer pipe. He was about to leap back over to it when he heard foot steps. He retreated to the edge of the woods reaching for his weapon again as he aimed it at the figure who walked out.

He sighed and lowered it as Liae stepped out into the fading light. "Good we're all here."

Liae sighed as she heard his voice. "I was so worried, I'm glad you made it sir."

Panther nodded and turned back towards the woods, but his ear twitched as he heard a small gasp, and what sounded like. He glanced over his shoulder as Liae stared at him wide eyed, Chea blinked trying to figure out what was going on. Then Liae jerked forward a few steps before falling to her knees at the edge of the pipe.

"Liae!" Chea moved to go help her, but Panther stopped her with a grip on her arm. Chea glanced at Panther once in shock before turning back to Liae, right as she tumbled forward off the edge of the pipe and down into the torrid pool below. Her body didn't splash so much as make a dull splat. "Liae!" Chea called out again, struggling against Panther's grip.

She stopped when a voice echoed out from the pipe. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that yours?" The Lynx who stepped into the light had cold eyes as her tail twitched behind her. "Consider it pay back for making me chase you through the sewers." Clutched loosely in her left hand was a long combat blade, covered in red.

Chea glanced from the Lynx to the knife to the pit that Liae had fallen into. With a cry of frustration, she drew her blaster and fired twice as the Lynx who swiftly dodged to the side of the erratic shots while reaching behind her with her right hand. Panther tackled Chea into the woods as the powerful blaster fired, sinking a strange round into the tree behind them. He picked them up and pushed Chea in front of him as the round in the tree behind him exploded. "Go! Go! Into the woods!"

Behind him, he heard that chilling laugh again, before the sounds of them crashing through the brush drowned it out.

* * *

><p>- | -Two months after the Assault on Sargasso - | - Great Fox II - | - Typhoon's room - | -<p>

* * *

><p>It was dark, that was the way he liked it right now.<p>

For all his abilities, Typhoon found himself stranded in his room more and more lately, even though he had shot down a large number of fighters in Sargasso, and he hadn't even complained when they had left Papetoon in a hurry. Yet, Whenever he walked into a room that Star Fox was in the past month, they always stopped what they were talking about, or just left the room. They still didn't seem to trust him, and he couldn't figure out why.

Maybe it was because of the fact that he still questioned Bill about what they were doing helping Star Fox when their orders had been to just simply keep an eye on them and report in to Command regularly. When he asked any of Star Fox what the plan was over the past two weeks he was always answered with "We're just checking something out." When asked Danielle or Xena, they just told him that they didn't know. Bill just shrugged whenever Typhoon posed the question to him. Bill had told him that he "Trusted Fox and Falco to let them know when they were needed." At first Typhoon had thought Bill had been lying to him, but as the weeks stretched into a month, he realized the Bill honestly didn't know. The last time he asked the question, he looked into Bill's eyes, and that was when he realized it annoyed Bill just as much as it did himself.

Which was why, even though they had finally docked as some space station out past Sector Z, Typhoon had elected to stay behind. Everybody else had decided to take the time to stretch their legs in a new place, but Star Fox seemed to know something, or someone here. As they had gotten closer he had noticed that they all seemed a little more tense, which made him wonder just what was on this station that had them all worried. Since he needed to stay behind, he had sent the rest of the squad out to keep tabs on Star Fox. Jennifer called him saying that Roaj was following the engineers around, offering to help them, and that she and Ross had tagged along with Bill and the rest of Star Fox.

That left him, laying back on his bunk, tossing a tennis ball up into the air and listening to it thunk into the ceiling before he reached out to grab it, his eyes tracking the slight shadow of movement in the dark. Star Fox had been gone maybe an hour when a flash of green light lit the room. Just for a moment, but that moment was all it took for the tennis ball to hit the bed spread, forgotten by Typhoon who had rolled off the bed and moved over his desk before the light could blink a second time.

Although there was a small computer that tapped into the Great Fox itself, the small laptop that Typhoon had brought with him had only one purpose. He lifted the lid and screen came to life, revealing a heavily built male lynx with white fur and a brown pattern. His eyebrows were bushy and hung just a bit over his eyes, which were a clear ice blue. Despite his size, when his voice floated through the speakers in the laptop, it wasn't very deep, yet somehow still commanded Typhoons complete attention.

"Corporal Reginald."

Typhoon saluted "Major General Rain sir, reporting in sir."

Major General Rain waved away his salute "Yes, I see that, are you alone?"

Typhoon nodded. "Yes sir, Star Fox has docked at Defiant Space Station, just outside of the Lylat system past Sector Z. While the rest of the team went aboard, I stayed behind, although I did send out the rest of my team to keep tabs on Star Fox and Captain Grey."

The Major General nodded. "Good, you can send me that report later, but right now we need to get to the matters at hand before they return." Before Typhoon could say anything, Rain continued. "Your reports on Star Fox have confirmed much of what we have suspected about them for some time. Along with what happened at Sargasso and Captain Greys recent activities makes me glad that there is somebody keeping an eye on them. Before we get any further though, I need to know if I can count on you to do what needs to be done."

Typhoon didn't even hesitate. "I will do whatever Corneria needs me to do sir."

Rain narrowed his eyes. "Even if it meant arresting Captain Grey? Perhaps even putting him down if he resists?"

This time Typhoon did hesitate, but only for a moment, the seriousness of the conversation just starting to sink in. "Yes sir."

Rain nodded. "Good. For now, your orders are to continue as before, keep tabs on Star Fox, and send in weekly reports, I need to know where they are at week to week. We're almost done collecting evidence and we'll be acting soon, when that happens, you need to be ready to move. Do you still have your communicator?"

Typhoon glanced behind him where his communicator that Corneria Command had given him before they had left Whiskey base still sat on his nightstand. He turned back to the laptop as he nodded. "Yes sir."

Rain leaned back in his chair. "Good, keep that with you at all times, we'll signal you when we need you to move. No matter what happens though, you are not to act until you receive the signal. Is that clear?"

Typhoon saluted again. "Yes sir."

Rain studied Typhoons face for a moment. "Keep up the good work Corporal." With that he cut the line and the screen died, letting darkness overtake the room again. Typhoon sat at the desk for a full minute, his heart beating faster as he realized that things were going to escalate soon, and with the fear of confronting Bill and Star Fox looming, he was glad he had his team with him.

Needing some air, Typhoon closed his laptop and tucked it away into his bag, he stood up and grabbed his communicator from his nightstand. He turned on the light for a minute while he looked for a jacket that he brought with him, swinging it over his upper body before he left the room. He headed towards the airlock, his nerves wouldn't allow him to sit still right now, he needed to walk, and he didn't care where. In only a few minutes he had reached the hanger of the Great Fox, he walked over to one of the shuttles that were in the bay, climbing in and starting up the engines.

"_Where are you going?"_

ROB's voice almost scared Typhoon as he buckled himself into the pilot seat. He flicked the switch to reply. "I decided to stretch my legs, I'm going over as well." When there was no reply, Typhoon figured that satisfied the piloting robot and he flicked the switch off. He lifted the shuttle off the ground and moved out into the asteroid field that the Great Fox was hidden in. He navigated his way through the floating rocks before turning his ship towards the space station.

* * *

><p>- | - Defiant Space Station - | - Main Hub - | -<p>

* * *

><p>"Hey Fox?"<p>

Fox glanced up from the cart of wares that he was looking at. "What's up Bill?"

Bill glanced around him before he lowered his voice. "What are we doing here?"

Falco spoke up with a grin from the other side of Fox. "Getting gear of course."

Bill raised an eyebrow. "Gear? Here?" he gestured around them at the down trodden space station they were on. "What could you honestly find here?"

Fox grinned and glanced at Falco. "Do you want to show him?"

Falco straightened and walked over to Bill, draping an arm over his shoulder. He started talking as he walked, dragging Bill along with him. "Bill, tell me, have you ever heard of something called the black market?"

Bill frowned as he and Falco continued walking away, right before they turned a corner, Falco gave a thumbs up. Fox glanced up into a mirror and narrowed his eyes slightly as he saw Jennifer nod at Ross and the feline ambled off after the pair. He turned his head to glance at Krystal on the other side of the cart. "That's one."

Krystal nodded, her eyes focused on Fox, but still watching the husky behind him. "She won't be as easy to lose as Ross was." She glanced down back at the wares laid out before her. The various weapons and pieces of technology here were strictly illegal anywhere in Lylat, but since Defiant had been built just outside Lylat's borders, the goods here were a little less regulated then normal. She picked up a small compact holdout blaster, heavily modified to give it a bit more kick then its normally weaker kin. "We got lucky that Roaj went with Danielle, Xena and Slippy."

Fox smiled as he thought about the two engineers reactions when they had set foot on the station. When Falco had told them that they came here to procure unregulated supplies and parts for the Great Fox, they both had gotten a look in their eyes as they had stepped aboard. Xena got excited, while Danielle had gotten a more awed look, before Danielle could protest, Xena had grabbed her arm and dragged her off towards the lower part of the station where ship parts were sold. Xena had been to the station once before, and knew its layout, and just what kind of gems one could find here. Roaj had glanced once at Jennifer before he had ambled off after then, saying that he would be an extra pair of arms. Slippy had only paused for a moment before he followed after them, his attention grabbed by the thought of upgrading his ship.

"When is the meet up?"

Fox brought his focus back to the present when Krystal spoke up. He set down the combat knife that he had been holding before he answered. He slid up the sleeve of his jacket to glance at the time displayed on his gauntlet. "Twenty minutes." He let the sleeve of his jacket cover his gauntlet as he turned his gaze to another knife. The entire team had decided to wear more casual clothes for their trip on Defiant. While their fame and reputation had its uses, on a place like Defiant, there were times where it could do more harm then good.

That was why Fox was dressed in black cargo pants and a matching t-shirt with a brown jacket partly zipped up. A baseball cap sat on his head, the bill pulled low over his eyes, and although ranged weapons weren't allowed loaded on the station, Fox still had a small hold out blaster in one of his pockets. The security who had searched him before allowing him on the station had no doubt seen it, but everybody had some kind of holdout blaster here. It would be stupid to not have something.

Krystal had chosen blue jeans and a green shirt that exposed her belly, and left little to the imagination about the rest of her chest. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail that swung gently as they walked, and she had left her tiara behind and instead opted for a necklace of the same style. She put down the drained blaster before she turned her attention to a small selection of jewels that were on display. She had only been browsing for a moment before she gasped softly and reached down to pick up an earring. Fox raised his head at her gasp and watched as she lifted up a small emerald earring housed in silver. Krystal stared at the earring with an awestruck look.

She turned to face the merchant, a fierce looking doberman with a scar across his face and a large blade hanging from his belt. "How much for the earring?"

The doberman grinned slightly as he spoke up. "Ah, I was wondering if anybody would buy that thing. I picked it up from a scavenger thinking it would sell quick, but that was ages ago." he paused and rubbed his muzzle for a moment before he continued. "Tell you what, if your boyfriend there actually buys one of the knives there, I'll throw in the earring for half price."

Krystal looked at Fox expectantly, Fox just sighed and reached into his pocket to pull out his credit chip. "Deal." He handed over the chip as he picked up one of the smaller knives and the sheath it came with. "I'll take this and the earring."

The doberman grinned and took the card, swiping it through his computer. Krystal tucked her earring into her pocket as Fox attached the sheath to his belt. When the doberman held out the chip to give it back, Fox held up a hand. He lowered his voice as he spoke up. "There's an extra bonus in it for you if you can help me give my tail the slip."

The doberman frowned as he glanced at Jennifer who was leaned up against the wall, watching the two of them from the shade of an overhang. Her outfit consisted of shorts and a tank top, revealing her muscled form. "I dunno mate, she looks like a tough take, a husky never goes down easy, and she looks tougher then normal."

Fox blinked before he shook his head. "I don't want her dead, I just need her to loose sight of us for a few minutes, if that."

The doberman nodded as he reached under his counter "Ah." He swiped the chip again before he handed it back to Fox. When Fox took the chip, the doberman also palmed a small business card into his hand. "Go there, I guarantee that you'll get your minute."

Fox nodded and touched the bill of his cap briefly. "Thanks." Fox tucked his hand into his jacket pocket and moved away from the stand, Krystal following him as they headed down the street. Jennifer pushed off the wall she had been leaning on and caught up with them before they had made it twenty feet.

Fox glanced at Krystal before he turned to his gaze to Jennifer. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

Jennifer looked at Fox curiously. "Sure. Fire away."

Fox turned his gaze back to where they were going. "What do you do to relax? Do you ever just cut loose and have fun? You and Typhoon always seem to be gloomy when we're on the ship."

Jennifer frowned before she answered. "Relax? Well, I watch TV like anybody else I suppose, but I also like to spar."

Krystal, having picked up on what Fox was planning, spoke up. "Have you ever gone out dancing?"

Jennifer was silent for a moment as she thought about it. "You know, not really, it's just never struck me as something I would enjoy doing."

Fox grinned at Krystal as he held up the card, allowing her to see the address printed on it. "Shall we?"

Krystal matched his grin as she quickened her step, leading Fox and Jennifer deeper into the station. "It would be a crime not to." Fox and Jennifer matched her stride as they moved through the streets.

As they rounded a corner and headed for a colorful building down the street Jennifer spoke up. "Guys, where are we going?"

Fox just glanced over at her as they came to a stop. "One of the best places on Defiant." He nodded towards the double doors, continuing. "Go ahead, put your hand on the door."

Jennifer frowned before she took a step forward and reached out to lay a palm on the door. She waited there for a moment before she took a step back. "Oh, no wa- Ah!"

Before she could finish her statement, Fox and Krystal walked past her, each one of them snagging an arm and dragging the reluctant husky through the doors. As soon as the trio pushed through the doors, a wave of sound almost knocked them back out into the street.

The building did a good job of muffling the loud thumping bass and melodies that powered out of the speakers that lined the walls. It's windows did an even better job of making sure none of the strobing lights managed to flash out into the station during its night cycle.

Fox turned to Jennifer, and raising his voice to be heard spoke up. "Welcome to Club Final Defiance!" he called out as Fox and Krystal continued to lead Jennifer deeper into the crowd of people inside. More then once, one of them was bumped into by one of the other club goers, their bodies gyrating in time with the music. Jennifer at this point had given up on struggling to get outside and resigned herself to following Fox and Krystal as they made their way towards the bar.

As the three of them found stools and sat down, Fox and Krystal turned to face Jennifer. "So, do you feel the urge to dance yet?"

Jennifer frowned at Fox as he asked his question, shaking her head slowly. "No, and being in this club is only giving me a headache, how can you guys stand it?"

Krystal chuckled. "Try going on a mission with Falco when hes been given no limits. Noise is the last thing you worry about."

Jennifer turned her attention to the bartender as he walked over to get them drinks. The three pilots ended up just ordering water, none of them wanting to risk being inebriated in case something came up. "So, Falco is a bit of a wild card then?"

As Krystal sipped at her glass she sent a thought towards Fox. _"Ten minutes right?" _out loud she answered the question. "You could say that. It's not like he ignores orders or anything, but Falco likes weapons, and he makes a big deal out of making sure he has the right one for the job."

Fox picked up where she had left off "He's a good guy to have around in any firefight though. Not to mention he's a hell of a pilot, I know I can count on him when the going gets rough." He turned and locked gazes with her, giving a small nod as he answered her telepathic question._"Right, and we need to figure out someway to get Jennifer out onto the dance floor where we can loose her."_

Krystal stood up suddenly. _"I'm on it, follow my lead." _She turned to face Jennifer and held out a hand. "Well, we came here to dance, so lets go."

Jennifer stared at Krystal's hand like it was covered with a plague. "I don't know..."

Fox stood up as well. "Come on, it's not like it'll kill you."

When Jennifer stayed sitting down Krystal shook her head. "I really didn't think you would be afraid of dancing."

Jennifer narrowed her eyes at Krystal. "What was that?"

Krystal just crossed her arms and leaned up on Fox who put an arm around her shoulder. "You know what I mean, you're acting like we're asking you to try drugs. Come on Jennifer, it's not the bad."

Jennifer scoffed and dropped her gaze from Krystal, she looked at the floor for a moment before she sighed. "If I agree to do this, will you guys agree to leave?"

Fox glanced at Krystal before he nodded. "Sure."

Jennifer sighed again before she stood up, she held up a finger as the three of them turned towards the dance floor. "One dance, that's all."

Krystal laughed. "That's the spirit, come on." with that, she ducked out from under Fox's arm, grabbing it and tugging him into the crowd, Jennifer following slowly behind them. As they entered into the center of the crowd, Jennifer tried to keep her eyes on the couple, but between one blink and the next, they seemed to melt into the crowd of bodies in front of her.

Suddenly Jennifer found herself along in the middle of the crowd, and after a quick glance around to try and find Fox and Krystal one last time, she turned back towards the bar and started to push her way back out. She had just made it to the edge of the dance floor, and a semi empty space when she found her path blocked by another husky. He was a dark chocolate brown over his body, except for a lighter pattern from a scar on his shoulder.

As she made to step around him, he held out a hand. "Hold on there, you are way to pretty to be here alone."

Jennifer stopped, not because of the hand in front of her, but because of the fact that he had called her pretty. It wasn't something she heard often.

She leaned back on a foot and raised an eyebrow at the husky as she crossed her arms.

The husky backed up a step while he raised his hands in submission. "Hold on, before you get angry at me, just know that I mean that."

Jennifer was quiet for a moment before she spoke up. "That I'm pretty?"

The husky nodded before he held out a hand. "Names Danny. You look a little lost at first, I'm guessing you don't go out dancing much."

Jennifer shook her head. "No." Danny let his hand drop when it was clear that Jennifer wasn't going to shake it.

Danny frowned and rubbed the back of his head before he spoke up again. "Well, if you would be willing to let me help you, I could show you the better side of it." He swallowed hard when she narrowed her eyes at him. "If you'll let me that is."

Jennifer took a moment to think about it, despite her earlier denial, now that she was actually here, and somebody was offering instead of forcing, she found herself curious. She narrowed her eyes at Danny for a second before she glanced back out into the dance floor. "I feel like I've said this too many times already, but just one dance. Deal?"

Danny smiled. "I'll only need one."

Near the front entrance of the club, Krystal leaned up against the wall, watching the exchange between the two huskies. She smiled as Jennifer let the other husky lead her back out onto the dance floor. She ran her eyes over the crowd as she searched for Fox, the pair had separated in the crowd to make it harder for Jennifer to locate them.

She had just reached the far corner of the club and was turning her gaze back to the crowd when she saw a vixen walking towards a side hallway. She didn't see much, but what little she did see had her pushing off the wall and taking a step towards the hallway to try and see more. She felt her breathing pick up in pace as her heart beat a little faster. She wasn't sure why, but something about the quick glance she had gotten frightened her. Made her think back to the day that had left Papetoon.

Taking a few calming breaths, she turned back towards the exit and almost ran into Fox as he came up from behind her. Krystal jumped back to avoid running into him, her hair still slightly raised up.

Fox blinked as Krystal settled "Hey, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Krystal glanced back at the hallway before she shook her head. "It's nothing, you just startled me." she rubbed the back of her head before she continued. "Come on, we'll need to hurry if we want to make it to the meet up point in time."

Her and Fox turned towards the doors and were about to go through them when Fox stopped and glanced back out at the dance floor. "I feel a little bad about ditching her here. Do you think she'll be okay?"

Krystal shook her head and tugged on Fox's arm. "She'll be fine, trust me." She smiled as she thought back to seeing the small grin that played on Jennifer's face as she headed back onto the floor with the husky.

* * *

><p>- | - Defiant Space Station - | - Lower Hub - | -<p>

* * *

><p>Fox and Krystal glanced around as they stepped off the elevator and their noses were swarmed with a baffling array of smells, quite a few of which, neither had ever smelled before. As they walked past the various stands that were set up, Krystal spoke up.<p>

"So, we're meeting in a food court then?"

Fox glanced around before he laughed softly. "I guess you could call this a food court." He placed an arm around Krystal's shoulders as he gestured around with the other. "Welcome to the melting pot."

Krystal plugged her nose with her hand as they walked past a particularly pungent stall. The owner glared at her before she shrugged in apology, she turned her gaze back to where she was walking as she spoke up. "Melting pot?"

Fox nodded. "Yeah, it was a refugee point during the Lylat wars at first, but eventually those that sought refuge here, just called it their home." He pointed towards the far end of the deck. "Over there is where all of these people live."

Krystal blinked. "Cargo containers?"

The multicolored containers were stacked up all the way to the base of the next deck. A confusing array of ladders and half constructed stairs connecting every single one. Some of the containers had windows cut into the metal, while others had the original doors welded shut and new ones cut into the side.

Fox chuckled on seeing her dumbfounded expression. "This place soon became known as the melting pot, since the refugees came from all of the planets in the Lylat system. There are even a few Cornerians who got dissatisfied with the war mixed in."

Krystal took over. "Instead of one group being more dominate, they all exist equally."

Fox nodded again. "Nobody here cares where you came from, as long as you don't raise a fuss, they won't bother you." He glanced at her as they entered a large common area filled with tables. "They won't even pay attention to a bunch of people having a meeting either."

It was Krystal's turn to nod. "Making it the perfect place to have a meeting that you don't want over heard."

Fox chuckled again as he led her towards a table near the edge where Falco and Slippy had already pulled up seats. As they sat down, Slippy was drinking something from a slightly dirty glass while Falco was eating...

"Ugh...You bought some of that stuff?" Krystal plugged her nose as she sat down.

Falco just grinned. "Don't let the smell confuse you sister, this stuff tastes amazing." Falco reached down and stabbed a few more noodles from his bowl with a fork. He lifted them up and held them towards Krystal. "Want a bite?" The vixen shook her head sharply as she waved the fork away while Slippy and Fox chuckled. Falco shrugged, "Your loss."

Fox shook his head as he tapped the table, he lowered his voice slightly "Since you guys have been here longer then us, have you seen him yet?"

Falco shook his head while Slippy spoke up. "No sign of him yet, I've sent him a coded transmission, but he has yet to respond." The toad glanced around quickly. "I don't like this Fox, we don't know whats going on with Corneria, and so far all of our usual sources have been mute."

Fox sighed. "I know, which is why we're risking this meeting like this." He glanced at Krystal. "I want to say that I'm just over reacting, but something about all of this doesn't sit right with me. My instincts are screaming that something bad is coming, and we're caught up in the middle of it."

Krystal reached out a hand and laid it over his. "This is all for the team, you would rather have us be prepared for it as much as possible, rather then swept away in shock." She frowned as well after a moment. "I share the same feeling as you, something feels off lately, with our missions, and with the Remnants. I think that this is the best course to follow right now."

Slippy nodded while Falco gave a thumbs up.

Fox leaned back in his seat. "Well, all this will be for mute if our contact doesn't show up."

"Wouldn't it be cool if they showed up out of the blue like in those old spy movies."

The four of them blinked before they turned to the source of the new voice, a female hare was leaning back in a seat next to theirs. She had her feet kicked up on the table and an empty plate sat next to her boots. "You know, it would have been nice if you guys had told me you changed the meeting point, I was on the other side of this area for the past half hour waiting for you."

Fox exchanged a glance with Krystal who suddenly grinned. "I have no idea how I didn't recognize your thoughts."

The hare dropped her feet off the table, lifting her chair up and spinning it around to sit at their table. "I thought for sure you would have sensed me coming."

Krystal blushed and looked down. "To be fair, I'm off my game a bit, I was just looking for your father, not anybody else."

Lucy Hare grinned at her friends. "Dad couldn't make it, so he sent me in his place. Long time no see." she glanced around at their faces. "Dad gave me a file before a left, so I know what's been going on, and everything he knows so far."

Fox nodded. "Then, lets get this meeting started."

In the housing sector of the melting pot, the elevators slid open and Typhoon stepped out, his eyes running over the various ladders. "Ross said he loss Falco on this floor. It's a long shot that he'll still be here, but I might as well look around anyway."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Bam, another chapter down, hopefully those who read this continue to enjoy it. I will say this, while I enjoy the way this chapter came together, I could understand if some people find it a little, eh, broken, in flow, what with views hopping around like they did. As for why I focused on Panther for a bit, well, he still has a small roll to play in the coming events, and it also helped to introduce you to Raydon.<strong>_

_**Don't forget to review, I respond to all of them, and it helps me to improve if you point out something I did wrong. As usual, I hold no promises for perfect Grammar and what not, we are still not on speaking terms.**_

_**On the note of reviews...**_

_**Jack: Wow, it has been a while since I've had to respond to one of your reviews like this. Glad you enjoyed, and it would suck if your awesome power armor suit turned into a weapon for the enemy, but I can just see Falco tapping on the face plate at one point just to mock the guy.**_

_**Blake: Krystal does have something like that going on. I would go further into details, but spoilers and what not.**_

_**Anyway, that should be everything, I am almost done with a Destinies update, so that should be updated on Saturday, I really only have a few paragraphs left to work on. After that, I'll be returning to Dead Planet, which I know of a few people who are excited for that.**_

_**Till the next time I update!**_

_**Peace,**_

_**- Emile**_


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